Catch Me When I Fall
by CathGilLove
Summary: When Catherine Willows is viciously attacked, it takes one man to bring her back to the woman that everyone thought had been taken away from them.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Catch Me When I Fall

Author: ANNE (the insane one)

Rating: R

Summary: When Catherine Willows is viciously attacked, it takes one man to bring her back to the woman that everyone thought had been taken away from them.

Disclaimer: Characters et al belong to the people that make CSI.

WARNING: Dark fic ahead….It'll eventually get happier. But dark fic atm.

1

Gil Grissom snapped up the phone. "Grissom."

"Griss? It's Warrick."

"What is it?"

"I need you to come up to the hospital. And bring your kit."

Gil froze. "Why?"

"Catherine was attacked. She won't let anyone near her to take evidence or to take care of her. She says she wants you."

Gil's eyes widened and pain sliced into him. "I'm on my way."

* * *

Gil arrived at the hospital, quickly finding Warrick. "Where is she?"

Warrick pointed to a room. "Grissom…"

"What?" Gil wanted to get to her. Hold her and take care of her.

"She was raped."

Gil felt his fists clenched, feeling the first urge in many years that he had to seriously hurt another person. "I'll take care of her. Please…please call Nancy. Catherine will worry about Lindsey."

Warrick nodded.

Gil stood in the doorway to Catherine's hospital room. She lay on the bed, battered and bruised, her face staring at the ceiling.

"I'm here, Cath."

Her eyes jerked up to look at him and she nodded, not saying a word.

He slowly walked into the room, placing his kit on a table. "Warrick called me. He said you wanted me."

Catherine nodded again. "Thank you."

Gil found a rolling chair and sat in it, making his way slowly over to her. "Has the doctor seen you?"

Catherine nodded. "Didn't take evidence. Wouldn't let him."

"Okay." He moved the chair to the side of the bed, relieved that she didn't seem upset by his proximity. "Cath, I have to ask you…did he use a condom?"

She nodded.

"Okay, that's good." He reached out and took her hand. "Is this okay?"

She nodded again. "Gil?"

"Mhm?"

"Please, stay with me."

Gil squeezed her hand. "I will, Cath. I promise."

* * *

"Dr Grissom?"

Gil looked up at the nurse that stood in the doorway. He glanced at Catherine, who was sleeping after the nurse had given her some mild painkillers. Getting up, he made his way over to the door. "Yes?"

"A Mr. Brown is here. He said he's here to pick up some evidence?"

Gil nodded. "Thank you." Gil stood in the doorway, just in case Catherine woke up and wondered where he was. "Hi, Warrick."

"You said you wanted me to take the evidence back to the lab?"

"I promised Catherine I'd stay with her." Gil handed over the bags.

Warrick nodded as he accepted the bags. "Uh, Sara took Greg out to a burg in Henderson. Figured she'd keep him out of everyone's hair. Nick's back at the lab. Ecklie wants the case, but we're fighting him for it."

Gil frowned. "Ecklie is not allowed to even breathe on this evidence. Catherine asked for me, so she gets me. And getting me means she gets the rest of the team. And I want Greg in the lab for this one."

Warrick's eyes widened. "In the lab? We've got Hodges and…"

"Hodges isn't good enough. Catherine gets the best, so she gets Greg," Gil said firmly. "If you get anymore trouble from Ecklie, call me and I will speak to the Director. But nobody gets this case except our team, understand?"

"Yes, Griss." Warrick glanced at the tired eyes of his boss. "Is there anything I can get you? I could sit with her if you wanted to get some rest."

"No. I promised her I wouldn't leave her, and I won't break my promise." Gil sighed. "Thanks, Warrick."

"No problem. Call me if you need me."

* * *

Catherine moaned, putting a hand to her head as she slowly opened her eyes, focusing on the room around her. She looked over to her left, seeing Gil asleep in a chair.

"You stayed," she murmured to herself.

"Of course I stayed," came the reply.

Catherine blinked. "I thought you were asleep."

Gil opened his eyes. "I was resting my eyes." He moved over towards the bed. "I promised you I would stay. I don't break my promises."

Catherine looked up at him. "No, you don't."

Gil watched as she shifted a bit. "Pain?"

"Yes."

"I'll call a nurse," he replied, pressing the button. "Warrick came by. He picked up the evidence and took it back to the lab."

Catherine froze. "He was here?"

Gil frowned slightly. "Yeah. I asked him to take the evidence back to the lab."

"He was in here?" Catherine backed slightly up on the bed.

Gil started to see what was upsetting her and he took her hand. "No, Cath, he wasn't. He was outside. I stood in the doorway. I promise, he didn't see anything."

Catherine started to relax a little. "Okay."

The nurse came in then, bringing with her some pain relief. "Here we are, Ms. Willows."

"Thank you," Gil said, sitting down in his chair again.

"The breakfast cart will be around soon."

"I'm not hungry," Catherine said, as the nurse left.

"You have to eat," Gil told her. "You don't want to stay in here any longer than you have to, right?"

Catherine curled up on the bed. "It's safe here."

Gil froze. Catherine hated hospitals. Catherine always felt safe. What had this monster done to her? "Cath, it will be safe at your home. I'll be there with you."

She looked up at him, fear in her eyes. "Promise?"

Gil took her hand and squeezed it. "I promise."

* * *

"So basically, we've got nothing," Sara grumbled, leaning back in her chair.

"It's not nothing," Warrick said, gesturing to the evidence bags.

"There's no fibres, no hairs, no semen. That's pretty much nothing," Sara reminded him.

"Hey guys, cool it," Nick said. "We've got to work the crime scene. You're just looking at evidence taken from Catherine."

"That's the problem," Warrick said. "Ecklie's gotten it cordoned off."

Nick's eyes widened. "Has he gone in?"

Warrick shook his head. "Nope. He's just letting it sit there."

Sara stood up. "Well let's stop sitting here looking at this stuff. Give it to Greg and we'll go take a look at the crime scene."

"We'll have to square it with Ecklie first. And I don't know where the worm is," Warrick said.

"Who says we have to square it with Ecklie? Did he stake a claim on the crime scene?" Sara asked.

"He cordoned it off," Nick reminded her.

"That's just putting up some tape. Anyone can do that." Sara got up. "I want to catch this guy. So let's go."

* * *

Catherine stared at the breakfast tray.

Gil looked up from his own hospital breakfast tray. "I know it doesn't look very appetizing…and it probably doesn't taste too good either, but Cath, you have to eat. I want you to get strong again."

"I'm not hungry."

Gil moved over and sat on the bed next to her. He picked up the spoon and spooned up some of the food. "I never thought I'd do this again, after Lindsey." He made a face and started to make aeroplane sounds. "Here comes the plane, looking for its hangar…" The spoon stopped at her lips.

Catherine looked at him, highly unamused, her lips staying closed.

Gil sighed and put the spoon down. "Cath…Please. For me? Just eat a little bit."

Catherine looked at him and finally took the spoon from his hand. She ate some of the food and put the spoon back down.

A small smile broke out on Gil's face. "Thank you." He spooned another little bit and ate it himself, trying not to grimace. "See, it's not too bad."

Catherine said nothing, but leant back against the pillow.

Gil spooned some more and held it out for her. "Now, eat a little bit for…Lindsey?"

Catherine paused. "Where is she?"

"Staying with Nancy. She's worried about you, baby. She wants to see you."

"No," Catherine said firmly.

"Cath…"

"No! I don't want her seeing me like this!"

"Okay," Gil soothed, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Okay, it's alright. Shh, Cath. It's okay."

"It's not okay," Catherine said, tears pouring down her face. "It's not okay! I'm afraid of everyone and I don't want my daughter to see me! And I'm scared, Gil! I'm scared!"

Taking a big chance, Gil put his arms around her. He felt her tense at first, but as he gently soothed her with his voice, she relaxed.

"I've got you, Cath. It's going to be alright. I'll take care of you."  



	2. 2

Part 2 

Warrick put his flashlight on. "Well, here we go. Crime scene."

"What was she doing in a park at night?" Sara asked.

"Finishing up a case," Nick replied grimly.

"Where was the officer on scene?" Warrick asked.

"Brass is talking to him. He said CSI Willows okayed him to leave."

Sara narrowed her eyes. "I can't imagine Catherine doing that unless he had a good reason."

"She did it once before. When the guy was about to puke on the evidence," Warrick answered. "But he was a rookie."

"What about this guy?"

"He's been in the force seven years," Nick answered.

"We've got prints here," Sara said, pointing to the ground. "They look about Catherine's shoe size."

"We've got a size nine tread here," Warrick murmured. "Could be our guy."

"Aw, man," Nick whispered.

Warrick and Sara both stood up.

"What is it?" Warrick asked.

"Duct tape. The bastard bound her up."

They all paused, the reality of what Catherine had been through starting to hit them.

Warrick was the first to break the silence. "The best thing we can do for Cath now, is work the case."

* * *

Gil unlocked the door to Catherine's house, and then went back to her car, where she was waiting for him. "Okay, ready?" He extended his hand to her.

Catherine took it, gripping tightly and getting out of the car. "Kay," she replied quietly.

Gil took her inside, keeping her small hand in his. "Okay, where shall we go first?"

"Tired."

He nodded. "I thought you might be." He locked the door behind them and led her upstairs to her bedroom. "Okay, Cath." Gil took her coat off. "Want to get changed or are you comfy?"

"Fine," she replied, lying back on her bed.

"Let me just get your shoes," he suggested, slipping off the sandals. "Better?"

She nodded and let Gil tuck her in. As he went to leave, her hand shot out, grasping his.

"Don't go."

Gil turned. "Cath…"

"Please," she begged. "Don't leave me."

Gil's heart broke and he vowed to find whoever had done this to her. Whoever had taken Catherine from him. "Of course I will," he replied.

* * *

"So, what have we got so far?" Warrick asked.

"Duct tape," Nick pointed. "Catherine's gun. No shots fired, but there is blood on the tip. We'll have to analyse it to see who's it is."

"Fibres," Sara, said, holding up the bag. "Presumably from Catherine's clothes, but we'll compare them to make sure." She pointed to some swabs. "And blood. Some from against a tree, some from the ground. We'll compare it to Catherine's DNA."

Warrick nodded. "Okay. Has anyone seen Greg?"

"I'm here," Greg said, appearing in the doorway. "And I have something to offer to this evidence log."

"What?" Nick asked, looking up.

Greg tossed two bags on the table.

"That's Catherine's underwear," Sara said.

"Very observant," Greg replied. "But obviously you guys didn't look too hard earlier."

"What is it, Greg?" Warrick asked impatiently.

"I was looking at the clasp of the bra strap, because sometimes guys have trouble getting them off," Greg explained.

Sara arched an eyebrow. "Greg, this wasn't consensual sex. I'm sure the guy didn't bother with the bra strap."

"Wanna bet?" Greg replied.

Nick's eyes widened. "You're kidding!?"

"Pulled epithelial from the clasp. He tried to get it off. Obviously he gave up, but he still left us some DNA behind."

"Enough to run?"

"I did. Wasn't in the database."

"Great job, Greg!" Sara told him.

"Wait, I have more." Greg gestured to the ripped underwear. "It was cut."

"It looks pretty jagged for a knife cut," Warrick said.

"Not if the material is hard to cut through and the person keeps moving," Greg replied. "This is top quality underwear."

"Can we match the knife?" Nick asked.

"Maybe…but I have something that may be a little easier."

"What is it?"

Greg handed over Catherine's blouse. "See this blood on the shirt? We assumed it was Catherine's."

"We assumed wrong?" Sara asked.

"It came back Officer Ray Clearmount." Greg said, putting the DNA printout on the table. "The officer that was supposed to stay with Catherine."

* * *

Gil woke up to tossing and turning. "Catherine?" he asked, touching her.

"No!" she cried, shrinking away from him.

Gil's eyes widened and he tried to soothe her. "Cath…Catherine it's alright. It's me. It's Gil. You know me. I won't hurt you."

"I can still feel him," Catherine began to cry. "I can still feel him touching me and telling me it's what I want. I can still feel him in me…I'm scared, Gil!"

Gil almost burst into tears himself, but he just held his arms out. She crawled into them, burying her face in his chest, her body shaking as she sobbed.

"We'll get through this, Cath. We will. I promise. And you know I never break my promises."

She nodded slowly, the tears slowing. "I…I feel dirty."

Gil thought for a moment. "Would you like me to run you a bath?"

Catherine gripped his hand. "But…"

"I'll be here, Cath. Come on, you can come too."

Gil took her into the bathroom and settled her on the lid of the toilet seat. "Bubbles?" he asked, as he began the bath.

Catherine nodded.

He poured some bubbles in and took her hand, gently letting her test the water. "Okay?"

She nodded again.

When the bath had finished, Gil stood, not sure what to do next. "Catherine…"

"Help me undress. Please," she murmured.

Gil paused, turning to look at her. "Okay," he finally answered. Anything she wanted. Anything at all.

She raised her arms and he slipped the shirt off, being gentle as he began to see some of the damage that the monster had caused her.

Angry red bruises were forming over her chest and stomach. As he eased her bra off, his breath caught in his throat. A handprint was on the side of her right breast.

Gil swallowed the lump in his throat and eased her sweatpants and panties off, the bruises forming on her thighs making his blood boil.

He put the clothes in the laundry hamper and took her hand. Gil helped her into the tub, and she grimaced as she moved her aching body into the tub.

Gil sat on the floor beside the tub, his hand reaching for the soap and cloth. He placed them by her side. "There you go."

Catherine glanced at the items for a moment, before grabbing them and starting to rub the cloth around. Gil frowned as she noticed her continually scrubbing.

"No," he said, taking the cloth.

She looked at him, confused.

"He's not there anymore, Catherine. He's not on you or in you." Gil put some soap on the cloth and slowly glided it down her arms. "It's just you, Cath. Just you and you're clean. You're beautiful." He moved the cloth to her stomach. "Like this, Cath. Gentle."

* * *

"Want to explain how your blood got on CSI Willows shirt?" Warrick growled.

"And you can also explain why the hell you left your station!" Sara told him. "You were supposed to stay with her on scene."

"She okayed me to leave!" Ray Clearwater cried.

Warrick sat opposite him. "You know, I did that once. I left a CSI. And she died. She was shot by the suspect. I don't like things repeating on me, Ray." He pushed forward the DNA printout. "Explain how your blood got on CSI Willow's shirt."

Ray sighed. "Okay, okay. I was the one that called in the 911."

"No you weren't," Sara growled. "A park ranger called it in."

Ray sighed. "No, I said I was a park ranger."

"Why?"

"Because I knew everyone was going to be on my case for leaving the scene. I felt bad and I came back. I found her, lying there. She was unconscious and bleeding. So I called 911."

"And then you left her again!" Warrick said. "You left her bleeding and unconscious."

"I was scared!" Ray finally admitted.

Sara glared at him. "You were scared? Think how CSI Willows felt when this guy attacked and raped her!"

Ray looked at his hand. "I know there's no excuse for my behaviour…"

"You're damn right there's no excuse," Brass said. "Now, explain why you left the first time?"

Ray took a deep breath. "Look, CSI Willows okayed me so I don't know…"

Warrick's fist slammed down on the table. "I don't give a damn whether she okayed you or not! Why did you leave the scene?"

"I said I was sick."

Brass narrowed his eyes. "Said you were sick. So what was the real reason?"

Ray fidgeted in his chair.

"Tell me before I get the urge to throw your ass across the room," Warrick told him.

"I had to meet some people."

"What kind of people?"

"I owed some money."

"For what?"

"Services rendered."

"Ray, you're very close to a rape, assault and attempted murder charge," Sara told him. "So let's start telling the truth."

Ray sighed. "Drugs."

"You left CSI Willows alone at a crime scene to go and get drugs?" Warrick asked.

"Not to get drugs…to recompense for drugs already purchased."

Sara rubbed her eyes. "That still doesn't explain the blood on the shirt."

Ray put his hand on the table. It was bandaged. "They didn't really like when I mentioned I had to get back to work. It must have got on her shirt when I checked to see if she was still breathing." He put his hand back under the table. "Look, I did something wrong, yes. But I did NOT rape or beat her up!"

* * *

"How about I cook us some real food?" Gil suggested, settling Catherine on the kitchen chair.

"Okay."

Gil glanced at her. "Do you promise to eat some if I go to the trouble of making it for you?"

She nodded.

"Good," Gil smiled. "How about pancakes?"

Another nod.

Gil began to organize the breakfast, keeping his eye on Catherine as he went. He was worried about her change in personality. "You know that you're going to have to make a statement, right?"

That caught her interest. She looked up at him. "I know."

"I'll stay with you," he told her, pouring the batter into the pan.

"Thank you."

Gil flipped the pancakes. "The best team are on this, Cath. I'll get him."

Catherine nodded. "I know."

"Trust me, Cath."

"I do," came the simple reply.


	3. 3

3 

"So let's get this straight. We have epithelials from an unknown donor and blood on her shirt from Officer Clearwater. A size nine tread. An unknown toolmark from the underwear. No semen, no condom. No hairs. No fibres." Nick sat back. "And no suspects."

"What we need is Catherine's statement," Sara replied.

"For that, you're going to have to get Grissom's okay," Warrick told her. "And I haven't heard from him since he took Catherine home from the hospital."

Greg came into the room, shutting the door behind him and leaning against it.

"Here to save the day again?" Sara asked.

"No. I'm hiding from Ecklie."

Nick arched an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"It's not necessarily what I did, but what we're doing."

"Ecklie wants the case?"

"Yeah, but I told him what Grissom told me to. That we were following orders from our supervisor, and if Ecklie had a problem with that, to contact Grissom."

Warrick nodded. "Good." He handed Sara the evidence bag with the underwear. "See if you can find out what was used to cut them. Greg, you're on the blood from the gun. See if it's Catherine's, then take it to Trace and make sure we haven't missed anything. Nick, see what kind of shoe made that tread. And I'll call Grissom. See how Cath is doing."

* * *

Gil watched Catherine very carefully, making sure she ate everything on her plate.

When she had finished, she pushed the plate away. He was relieved to see it was all gone.

"Good, huh?"

She looked up at him. "You've always been a good cook."

"Maybe one day I could teach you. If you were interested."

Catherine nodded slowly. "That would be nice." 

The telephone rang and Gil paused, glancing at her. "Want me to get that?"

"Please."

Gil picked up the phone. "Hello? Warrick."

Catherine looked up for a moment, then turned away, and began to clear up the breakfast dishes.

"I can do that," Gil murmured.

"I want to," came her reply, going back to the methodical process.

Gil frowned, concentrating back on Warrick. "When?"

Catherine continued to stack dishes, trying to ignore the conversation, even when it was plain that they were talking about her.

"We're…we're coping," Gil told Warrick. "Okay. Yeah. I'll try. Okay. I will. Bye, Warrick." Gil put his hand on Catherine's shoulder. "Cath?"

"Mhm?"

"I can clean up, you know."

"I know."

"They've collected evidence. They don't have a main suspect yet." Gil felt her stiffen under his touch at the comment. "They were wondering if you were up to giving your statement yet."

Catherine froze. "To who?"

"Brass. Me." Gil made her face him. "If you're not ready, Catherine…"

"I want to catch him, Gil. I want to sleep at night."

Gil nodded. "Okay."

* * *

"So?" Warrick looked down at Greg.

"Blood on the gun matches Catherine's." He handed over the paper. "I'll take it to Trace next."

"Okay." Warrick patted Greg on the back. "Thanks."

"Hey, uh, I know she won't want everyone crowding around her, particularly guys," Greg began, "so could you just…you know, say hi to Catherine for me and give her…I don't know, my support, or love or whatever?"

A small smile broke out on Warrick's face. "I will. I'm sure she'll appreciate that."

Greg nodded and disappeared down the hallway, the evidence bag containing the gun in his possession. Warrick turned and went down the hall to the computers, finding Nick still searching through treads.

"Hey. How's the search going?"

"Slowly. It's a type of boot, but it's got this weird mark here. I can't tell if it's part of the shoe tread or just a worn part." Nick looked up. "Catherine coming in?"

Warrick nodded. "Griss is bringing her."

"I'll uh…hide out here. I don't think she'll want too many people around her right now."

"Okay. I'll tell her you said hi."

Nick grinned. "Thanks, man."

Warrick left the room, intent on visiting Sara next. However, Ecklie stepped into his path.

"Brown."

"Ecklie."

"You're on my case."

"You're in my path. Guess that means we're both pissed off."

"I want my case back."

"No."

Ecklie raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"My supervisor assigned me this case, so I'm working this case. If you want it, take it up with Grissom."

"Except no one seems to be able to find Grissom."

Warrick shrugged. "That's your problem, not mine."

* * *

Catherine gripped Gil's hand tightly as they stood in front of the station. He looked at her, worriedly.

"You can do this," Gil assured her. "I'll be right here beside you the whole time."

Catherine nodded. "Okay."

They walked through the doors, and were almost immediately set upon by Ecklie.

"Grissom! Where the hell have you been?"

Catherine shrank back, terror in her eyes. Gil stood in front of her, shielding her from Ecklie's view.

"Stand back, Conrad."

Ecklie frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"He said stand back," Warrick growled, grabbing Ecklie by the shoulders.

"Get your hands off me, Brown!"

"Get Catherine settled, Griss. I'll deal with this piece of…"

"Thanks, Warrick," Gil said. He gently took Catherine by the arm, taking her a different route.

He sat her down in the lounge, kneeling in front of her. "It's okay, Catherine. You're alright. Just Ecklie making some noise. He likes being the center of attention."

Catherine hugged her arms around herself. "I feel like such a pathetic idiot. Ecklie managed to scare me…"

Gil tilted her chin so she looked at him. "You're not a pathetic idiot. You've been through a hell of a lot, Catherine, and I'm so proud of you for being as strong as you are." He put his arms around her and Catherine cried, fists clenched in the front of his shirt.

Warrick stopped in the doorway when he found them. Turning around quietly, he left them alone for a while.

* * *

"Sara?"

"Yeah?"

Warrick walked in. "I want you to sit in on the interview with Catherine."

Sara arched an eyebrow. "Me?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know if Catherine will be comfortable with that."

"She'll be a hell of a lot more comfortable with you than me."

"I don't think she's going to be comfortable with anyone but Grissom at the moment." Sara leant back. "Why don't we just let Grissom and Brass be in the room? We can always observe from outside."

Warrick thought for a moment. "That's probably not a bad idea."

* * *

Brass closed the door to the interview room, making Catherine jump. "Sorry, Cath," he murmured.

"It's okay," she replied quietly, glad of Gil's hand making soothing strokes down her back.

Brass sat down on the other side of the table. "You ready for this?"

Catherine nodded. "I just want to get it over and done with."

"Okay," Brass agreed. "Just want to start at the top?"

Catherine took a deep breath. "I was working a case in the park. A woman had been robbed. Officer Clearwater was waiting on the scene with me."

"Were there any other CSI's there?"

"No. Only one is needed for a robbery. Unless one is a rookie and then…" she paused. "I'm babbling."

Gil squeezed her hand. "You're doing fine, Cath. Just fine."

She nodded. "Officer Clearwater said that he was feeling sick. I told him he could go take a few minutes to clear his head."

"Then what happened?"

"I was looking on the ground for any evidence. And then I felt arms around my waist."

"Where was your gun?"

"He yanked it out of my holster and held it to my head." Catherine took a deep breath. "He told me not to scream, or I'd regret it."

"Did you scream?"

Catherine looked up. "I didn't really want to find out how he'd make me regret it."

Gil frowned at Brass, who nodded and continued.

"Then what happened?"

"He bound my wrists with some duct tape. He said we were going to get up very slowly. When we stood up, he pushed me against the tree, pressing his knee between my legs." Catherine stopped, a tear trickling down her cheek. "I'm sorry…I…"

"It's okay, Cath. Take as long as you want," Gil told her. He looked up at Brass, who indicated that he wanted to talk to Gil in private. "I'll be right back, okay?"

* * *

"I think you should continue this interview by yourself," Brass suggested.

Gil looked at him. "Are you sure?"

Brass gestured at Catherine. "She's not going to feel comfortable with me in there. She and Sara don't get on well, and there's no other female that she knows who can do the interview. You on the other hand…"

"I want this by the book, Jim. I don't want this bastard getting away with what he did to her."

Brass nodded. "He won't. Go on, Grissom. I'll observe."

Gil agreed, heading back into the room.

* * *

Catherine looked up as he reentered the room. "Where's Brass?"

"We thought it might be good if I took your statement."

Catherine nodded, fidgeting with her hands. "Okay."

Gil sat down. "Can you continue for me?"

Another nod. "I…He was grabbing my breasts through my shirt. He pulled it off and then he tried to undo my bra. When he…when he couldn't get it undone he pulled it down around my middle." She took a deep breath. "He started grabbing them again and then he tried to kiss me. I didn't want to and I turned my head at the last minute. He hit me across the breast with the gun and then held it back to my head. He told me to cooperate."

Gil's fists clenched beneath the table.

Catherine paused again. "He…he kissed me again and he kept pinching and squeezing my breasts. I tried to tell him it hurt, but he wouldn't listen. Then he…he put his knee between my legs. He kept pushing. Then his hand was at my pants, pulling the zipper down and undoing them. He pushed them down…"

Gil watched her carefully. "Cath? Do you need a break? Or you want someone else to.."

"No, just. I just need a minute." She took a shuddering breath. "He knocked me down to the ground and pushed my pants down as far as he could without moving the gun. Then he pulled a knife from his pants and cut my underwear. Then he made me…"

Gil didn't say anything, just letting her take her time.

"He made me put a condom on him. Then he was inside me and I was crying and he kept telling me to shut up, but I couldn't…I just couldn't and it hurt and he started hitting me and then I don't remember anymore and I'm sorry…" Catherine burst into tears.

Gil was by her side in an instant, holding onto her. "It's okay Cath, it's okay. You did really well."

"I need…I just need a minute," Catherine said, her head resting against him.

"Take as long as you want," Gil assured her. "I've got you."

* * *

Sara, Warrick and Brass, just stood there.

"Jesus," Warrick finally said.

"I…I need to go," Sara said, leaving the room. She felt sick.

Brass took a deep breath. "Explains your duct tape, cuts in the underwear, blood on the gun, epithelials on the bra."

"We just need to find the bastard."

Gil came out. "I'm going to take Catherine home."

Brass nodded. "Good idea."

"We'll find him, Griss," Warrick promised him.

Gil nodded. "Just let me know if there is anything I can do from Catherine's."

"If she remembers any detail that she didn't include in the statement, let us know."

"I will." Gil paused. "She did tell me that he kept telling her he knew she wanted it." He sighed. "Maybe it was someone who's seen her before?"

Warrick nodded. "We'll keep that in mind."


	4. 4

4 

Nick looked up when Warrick walked in. "Hey. How did it go?"

"Brass let Grissom do the interview. It was really hard." Warrick ran a hand through his hair. "Both for her to do it, and for us to hear it."

"I do have some good news," Nick told him.

"What?"

"Found the tread. Size 9 boot. Standard brand, one that most guys wear. But it did have some weird marking on the tread, so when we find the guy, we should be able to match the tread."

Warrick smiled. "Great! Any idea how Sara is coming along?"

"Sara has come along just fine," Sara replied, appearing at the doorway. "Swiss Army Knife."

Greg appeared in the room. "I've been thinking."

"That has me worried already," Sara teased.

Greg rolled his eyes. "Thankyou. What I meant was, has anyone found the drug dealer that Officer Clearwater was talking to?" He handed over some paper. "Because I did some research."

Warrick scanned the paper. "Officer Clearwater and his partner have been with Catherine at a crime scene for the past seven of her cases?"

"And then for the past twelve before that, it's been either him or his partner, Office Stan Graves."

"We need to find that drug dealer," Nick said. "He's the connection."

"And this means that Ray had to know what was going on," Sara commented.

* * *

Gil unlocked the door to Catherine's house and followed her in.

"So, are you hungry? Can I make you something? Or…"

"I'm really tired. I think I'll just go to bed."

Gil watched her go upstairs to her room. He followed her, albeit a far way back, and so was surprised when he saw the bedroom door shut. Before he could follow her in, the phone rang.

"Hello?" he said, after he made his way downstairs to pick it up.

"Hello, Gil."

"Nancy, hi. How's Lindsey?"

"She's good. She misses her mom, and is worried about her, but she's doing okay. How's Cath?"

Gil sighed. "She's…she's different. Physically, her injuries are starting to heal."

"But emotionally and mentally?"

"She's afraid of men. The only person she really allows near her is me. She isn't eating as well as she should, and she's always tired."

"Lindsey wants to see her."

Gil nodded. "I know. And I'm trying to talk her into it. I think being around Lindsey might help her. But at the moment…I don't know."

"Do you want to talk to Lindsey? Maybe if you tell her that her mother is doing okay, she might start to worry a little less."

"Sure. Put her on."

"Uncle Gil?"

"Hi, Lindsey."

"How's Mom?"

"She's doing fine. She's a bit tired, but I'm taking real good care of her, I promise."

"Why can't I see her?"

"Well, you know how when you had the chicken pox, you didn't want to go out in case other kids saw you all spotty?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it's kind of like that with your mom.

"Oh." Lindsey thought for a moment. "Can I talk to her on the phone? I really miss her Uncle Gil."

"I know, Lindsey. Hold on for a moment and I'll go see, okay?"

"Okay."

Gil put the phone down and made his way upstairs. He knocked on Catherine's door. "Cath? Lindsey's on the phone. She'd really like to say hi."

There was silence for a moment and Gil wondered if she had gone to sleep. Finally, he heard movement and the door opened.

"The phone downstairs?"

Gil nodded. "I'll bring it up for you."

He soon returned with the phone, handing it over to her.

"Thank you," Catherine replied. She left the door open. Her eyes strayed to Gil's for a moment, before she went and sat down on the bed.

Gil took a deep breath and followed her into the room, sitting down on the chair in the corner.

"Hello?"

"Mommy!"

"Hey, baby."

Gil watched the first smile appear on Catherine's face in what seemed like years.

"I miss you so much, mommy."

Catherine took a deep breath, trying not to cry. "I miss you too, baby."

"Uncle Gil says that you don't want to see anyone cause it's kind of like it was when I had the chicken pox and I didn't want anyone to see me when I was all spotty."

Catherine looked up at Gil, who wondered desperately what they were saying.

"It's…yeah, it's sort of like that, Linds. But I promise I'm trying real hard to get back to normal again."

"I want to come home, Mommy."

"I…" Catherine sniffed up the tears. "Sweetheart, Mommy isn't really herself at the moment. But I'm trying really hard and hopefully you can come home really soon." She looked up desperately at Gil, who came over and sat beside. "I'm going to put you back onto Uncle Gil now, okay? I love you so much, Lindsey."

"Lindsey?"

"It's Nancy."

Gil took a deep breath. "Is Lindsey okay?"

"She's upset. She misses her mother."

"So do I," Gil murmured. "I…I'll call you soon, Nancy."

"Just find the guy who did this."

"I will," Gil promised.

After he hung up, he glanced at Catherine. "Cath?"

"She wants to come home."

"She loves you."

"She loves her mother, not some scared, pathetic woman."

"Catherine, you are not pathetic. Sure, you're scared, but look what you've been through! You've been so strong in this so far. I'm so proud of you. We'll get through this. I promise. And Lindsey will be back here before you know it."

"Thank you."

Gil looked at her. "What for?"

"For all this. For taking care of me."

Gil's eyes widened and he took her hand, squeezing it. "Catherine, I'd do anything for you. Never, ever forget that."

She looked up at him, a small smile threatening to break through. "I'd do anything for you too, Gil."

Gil hugged her. "It's all going to be okay, Cath."

"I hope so," came the small reply.

* * *

Officer Ray Clearwater watched Warrick and Nick with scared eyes.

"You know why you're here, don't you, Ray?" Nick asked him.

"Why?"

"We want to know who you were buying the drugs from. We want the names of everyone who was there that night and of everyone who you've ever had contact with," Warrick stated.

Ray shook his head. "No way, man. You know what drug guys are like."

"We're starting to get a picture of it," Warrick replied. "And I'm not your man."

"Look, I can't give you names. They'd kill me!"

"They almost killed CSI Willows. One of them raped her. We want names."

"I can't."

"If they go after her again…it's on your head," Nick promised him.

Ray sighed. "You got some paper?"

Warrick slid some across the table. Ray picked up the pen and began writing.

When he pushed the paper back across the table, one named leaped out at Nick and Warrick.

_Dale Graves_.


	5. 5

Part 5 

Gil sat in the chair, just watching Catherine sleep. He liked to watch her. Not just because it meant he could protect her, it meant that he could just…well, watch her. He loved to watch her sleep. She was all curled up, strawberry blonde hair fanned out on the pillow. Her hands were curled up in front of her face.

"Gil?"

He almost jumped out of his skin. "I thought you were asleep."

"You're watching me."

"I'm keeping you awake?"

Catherine rolled over, her eyes on him. "I'm keeping me awake."

He frowned, moving to sit on the side of the bed. "What do you mean?"

"Every time I close my eyes, he's there. He's telling me I'm going to like it, and he's inside me."

Gil took her hand. "I promise, I won't let anyone hurt you, Catherine. He's not here anymore. He's not going to hurt you."

"Gil?"

"Mhm?"

She reached out her hand and hesitantly took his in it. "Stay."

"I'm not going anywhere, Cath."

"I mean…stay. Here." Her eyes connected with his. "Maybe then if I close my eyes, I'll see you."

Gil kicked his shoes off and lay down on the bed, staying as close to the edge as he could. "Only if you're comfortable, Catherine."

Her hand moved to his face, fingers running across his cheek before pulling the hand away and tucking it under herself. "I'm comfortable."

He smiled. "Get some rest, Cath. I'll be here. I promise."

* * *

Warrick stared down at Stan Graves, who was staring right back at him, no fear in his eyes.

"You're in big trouble Stan."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"Your brother raped and tried to kill CSI Willows."

"How would I know what my brother was going to do?"

"Because you've been the officer on scene at a lot of CSI Willows jobs."

"Coincidence."

"We don't believe in that much coincidence," Nick replied.

"I can't help you."

"This is going to bring you conspiracy charges," Warrick began, trying to work on a different tack. "You can help yourself by cooperating now."

Stan folded his arms. "Conspiracy."

"The papers are being prepared."

"What'll you offer me?"

"What are you offering us?"

Stan sighed. "Dale likes Willows."

"And?"

"And when I was on duty or if Ray was on duty, he'd kind of hang around, watching her."

"Watching her?"

"Well, it's not like she's bad on the eyes or anything."

"Did you know what he was going to do?"

"No."

Warrick glared at him. "Are you sure?"

"Look man, he was just there. He always watched her when we were on duty. It wasn't as if he said to me 'Yeah, I'm going to rape her."

"What did he say to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on. Your brother is watching this woman who isn't bad on the eyes and he doesn't once tell you what's on his mind?"

Stan folded his arms. "Such as?"

Nick folded his arms also. "Don't jerk us around, Stan."

"He might have…mentioned…that sometime he'd bag her."

"When?"

"I don't know! Sometime. Before all this crap happened."

"And that didn't worry you?"

Stan arched an eyebrow. "Do you automatically think rape when one of your buddies says he's going to "bag" a woman?"

"My buddies don't usually talk about bagging a woman," Warrick ground out.

"Oh. Is it guys they prefer?"

"You're on thin ice, Stan," Nick growled.

The man sighed. "What'll you give me if I talk?"

"The DA might be willing to bargain. Maybe reduce sentence time." Warrick shrugged. "All depends on what you give us."

Stan looked them in the eye. "Dale wanted her. Really bad. He doesn't like it when he knows a woman is going to turn him down. He could tell just by looking at her." Stan shrugged. "So he took what he wanted."

* * *

Dr Phillip Kane looked up as Gil Grissom walked through the door. "Grissom. It's been a while since I've seen you. Not since that last case that you and Catherine consulted with me."

"It has been a while," Gil acknowledged, sitting down in the proffered seat.

"How's Catherine?"

Gil sighed. "I was hoping you'd be able to help me."

"I'll certainly try and do everything I can."

"I want to help her. I want Catherine back."

Phillip looked at him. "I understand that. I'm sure Catherine wants to be herself again. But Grissom, you know as well as I do, that after this, Catherine will never be the same. She'll go back to being herself, but there will always be that part of her, that part of her that you can't erase."

Gil nodded. "I know that. But she won't go near anyone except me. She won't even have Lindsey in the house."

"Where is she now?"

"The doctors wanted to check her after one week. She's with them now. I asked if she wanted me to stay. She said I could go. I promised I'd be right back."

"Why do you think she trusts you more than anyone? Even her relatives?"

"Because she knows I'd be there for her whenever she needs me."

Phillip nodded. "Have you thought about therapy?"

"We are talking about the same Catherine Willows?"

"But that's the point. She isn't the same Catherine Willows, is she?"

"But I want her to be. And I know she wants to be."

"Grissom, did you ever think that maybe Catherine sees you as confidante. Therapist even?"

Gil's eyes widened. "Me?"

"Well, she's talked to you about what happened, correct?"

Gil nodded.

"What else?"

"She told me about nightmares. She let me help her dress her wounds and get her in and out of the bath the first couple of days. I took her statement. I've been with her 24/7."

"There's your answer," Phillip told him. "She trusts you. She knows that whatever she tells you, stays with you and that you're not going to judge her. So, in essence, for someone like Catherine who doesn't like therapists, she has one in you."

"So, therapist to therapist, what can I do?"

"Healing from something like this is going to take some time. For some women it takes shorter periods of time, some women, they never get over it." Phillip thought for a moment. "Does Lindsey understand what happened to her mother?"

"I don't know if anyone has talked with her about it."

"Before you bring her back into the house, someone needs to explain what happened. Then, perhaps it would be best for Catherine if Lindsey did come back in the house. Children are resilient. Sometimes, they can share that resiliency around."

"I'll do it. I don't think Catherine needs to relive it all over again."

Phillip nodded. "I agree. Basically, Catherine needs to feel as comfortable, secure and loved as possible. What she's been through, she's been stripped of dignity and she's been violated in the worst way possible. And since she trusts you more than anyone, just your presence is healing her."

Gil smiled. "Thanks. I better go and pick her up."

* * *

Gil walked into the hospital room, wondering where Catherine was. "Excuse me? I'm looking for Catherine Willows."

The nurse looked up. "Friend or family?"

"Family."

"Ah good. There's a slight problem."

Gil's eyes widened. "What problem? What's the matter?"

"She's not hurt. She just won't leave the cubicle until Gil Grissom arrives."

"I'm Gil Grissom."

"Oh thank goodness. Follow me."

* * *

Catherine sat huddled in the cubicle. It was cold. Grissom was supposed to pick her up. He hadn't arrived.

She hated herself. She was stupid, weak and pathetic.

Even Grissom didn't want her.

Why would he?

"Catherine?"

Her eyes widened and she looked up. She knew that voice. "Gil?"

Gil opened the door and came in, closing it behind him. He knelt down in front of her. "Cath…I was worried."

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"You have nothing to apologise for," Gil said firmly. "It's a bit windy to want to wait outside anyway. I should have known better."

"Thank you for coming."

Gil smiled at her, his hand resting on her cheek. "I'll always be here, Catherine. Always."

* * *

"We've been waiting to meet you, Mr. Graves," Nick said, a broad smile on his face.

"God knows why," Dale replied, leaning back in his chair.

"God does know why," Warrick promised him, tipping the chair back on its four legs. "So do you."

"What are you guys on?"

"Adrenalin, Dale. Which is why you're lucky there are two cops posted right outside the door," Nick told him.

"Alright then fellas. How can I help you?"

"Catherine Willows."

Dale thought for a moment. "Oh right. Chick who got done."

Warrick leant down, whispering in Dale's ear. "Be very careful."

"Why don't you guys just tell me what's pissing you off, and I'll try and accommodate to the best of my abilities."

"We want your fingerprints, DNA and confession," Nick said simply.

Dale thought for a moment, then finally nodded. "Okay. But before we talk logistics…I want a lawyer."

* * *

Gil settled Catherine in front of the TV. "Okay. Food?" He thought for a moment. "How about a famous Gil omelet?"

Catherine looked up at him. "That'd be nice."

Gil went into the kitchen, feeling chuffed that she was actually eating. Voluntarily.

When he returned, he sat the omelet in front of her, and he was even more pleased to see that she devoured the whole lot.

"You're watching me eat," she muttered, as she ate.

"You're very observant."

"Why are you watching me eat?"

"I want to make sure you do it."

When she had finished every bit of it and put the plate down, he waited for a moment.

"Cath. I want to talk to Lindsey."

Her eyes locked onto his for a moment, until she finally registered what he meant.

"No. Absolutely not."

"Catherine. She needs to know. I'm surprised she doesn't know already, because it's been in the papers…"

Catherine's eyes widened and she squeaked. "The papers?"

"It's been sorted, Cath. We won't have anymore trouble from them. But I'm telling Lindsey. She needs to know."

"She's a child."

"She's thirteen."

Catherine tried another tactic. "You'd go and tell her even if I asked you not to?"

"Yes," Gil said simply. "As much as I lo…admire you and as close to me as you are, I would. Because she has to know, Cath."

"I don't want her to be ashamed."

"Catherine, you have been so strong throughout all of this. What happened was not your fault. No one is ashamed of you."

Her eyes raised up to look at him. "I am."

His hands cupped her face. "Cath, no. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing at all."

It was on the tip of her tongue. She could have told him. Could have explained why she did feel ashamed, and why she should.

But she held back.

Catherine turned away. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Not talking about it isn't going to make it go away."

"I know that, Gil. Thank you." She got up. "Talk to Lindsey if you have to." With that, she turned around and went upstairs.

* * *

Dale Graves sat back, his lawyer sitting beside him.

"Ready?" Brass asked, turning on the tape.

The lawyer glanced at Graves then back at Brass. "Ready."

"Interview begins with Dale Graves regarding the rape and attempted murder of CSI Catherine Willows."

* * *

"UNCLE GIL!"

Gil smiled as Lindsey came running out to meet him.

"How's Mom?"

"She's….she's doing okay. I'm taking real good care of her."

"I want to see her. I miss her."

Gil nodded. "I know, Lindsey. That's why I'm here. I need to talk to you."

"Okay."

Nancy nodded to Gil and gestured towards the living room. "Jeremy and I are going to go out for a while. We'll be back later."

"Thanks, Nancy."

Lindsey waved goodbye to her aunt and her cousin, then followed Gil into the living room, sitting down beside him. "What's going on?"

"Lindsey, you and your mom have talked about sex, right?"

"Yeah. Ages ago. I'm thirteen now, Uncle Gil."

Gil smiled. "That's what your mom said." He sighed. "And you understand that sex is between two willing people, and it's about love."

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "Is this going to be another sex talk?"

"Lindsey, we have to be really serious now, okay. Do you understand what I just told you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Mom told me that."

"Okay. Well, when your mom was out working, a man came and made her have sex with him."

Lindsey's eyes filled with tears. "She was raped?"

Gil nodded. "Yes. The man hurt her very badly."

"That's why she didn't want me to come home?"

"It's not that, Lindsey. Your mom loves you more than anything. It's just then when she was hurt, she was very sad and she didn't want to make you sad."

"I want to go see her," Lindsey said wiping the tears. "She needs me."

Gil smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."

* * *

Catherine looked up as the door to her room opened. Gil stood there, awkwardly.

"I'm sorry I was mad at you, Gil. I just…"

"It doesn't matter, Cath." He smiled slightly. "I have someone here who wants to see you."

Lindsey's head peeked around the door. "Mommy?"

Catherine's eyes watered up and she held out her arms. "Come here, Linds."

Lindsey ran across the room and got onto the bed, snuggling up to her mother. "I love you, Mom. Everything's going to be okay. Uncle Gil and I will take care of you."

Catherine stroked her daughter's hair and looked up at Gil. "Thank you," she mouthed.

Gil grinned and gently closed the door behind him as he went downstairs.

* * *

"Grissom." Gil frowned. "Okay, Warrick. Thank you."

* * *


	6. 6

Part 6 

Now, everyone say a great big THANK YOU to Dallas. Without her, this fic wouldn't still be going along because I would still be stuck, having written myself into a corner. THANKS buddy :D

Gil sat on the bed. "You didn't tell me."

Catherine looked up at him. "What are you talking about?"

"It was in Dale Graves' confession."

Catherine looked back down again. "Still don't know what you're talking about."

"I read the confession, Catherine. I know you had an orgasm."

"Gil…"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She looked up at him. "It's none of your business."

"He forced you."

"He forced me into a lot of things."

"Cath…"

Catherine put her book down and turned over in the bed. "Go away, Gil."

Gil put his hand on her shoulder. "No."

She turned back over, her eyes filled with tears. "Gil…please."

"No." He lay down beside her. "I'm not leaving you, Catherine. Nothing was your fault. I know you think that it was, but it was not. He forced you to do something you didn't want to do, and then he forced you to have an orgasm to make HIM feel better about it." He stroked her hair, feeling his heart break. "I'm here, Catherine. Let me in."

Catherine burst into tears, burying her face in his chest. Gil held her tightly, stroking her back with soothing strokes. "It's going to be alright, Catherine. We'll get through this. I promise."

* * *

"This guy makes me sick," Nick said, tossing the statement down on the table.

"You and me both," Warrick said.

Sara walked into the room. "Hey. Brass said that Dale confessed."

Nick nodded. "You might not want to read it."

Sara picked it up. "I have to, Nick. It's part of our job."

"Our job is the evidence. Not the statement."

"The statement is the evidence."

Warrick watched the two argue back and forth. He sighed. "Just read it, Sara."

Sara's eyes scanned down the document. Her eyes widened. "Jesus. He forced her to orgasm?"

"He said it only seemed fair that she enjoy herself too," Nick said with disgust.

Sara put the piece of paper down. "Did Grissom know?"

Warrick shook his head. "I told him the statement over the phone."

"Will she have to do a lineup?"

"It'd help," Nick said. "That way we can lock the bastard up, no questions asked."

"If she's up to it," Warrick said. "That's Grissom's call at the moment."

* * *

Lindsey walked into the kitchen. "Morning, Uncle Gil."

Gil looked up from where he was making pancakes. "Hi, Lindsey. How did you sleep?"

Lindsey shrugged and sat up at the counter. "Okay, I guess. How's mom this morning?"

"She's still asleep. I thought I'd let her sleep for as long as I could. She's very tired."

"Hasn't she been sleeping well?"

Gil shook his head. "No."

"But you take care of her when she has nightmares, right?"

Gil looked over to the little girl. "Yes, I do."

"Good." Lindsey nodded. "She needs you."

Gil glanced at her for a moment, before he finished his pancakes. "Well. There we go."

"Do you want me to stay down here while you wake her up?"

"I'm sure she'd like to see you." Gil put the pancakes on a plate. "Do you want to carry up the maple syrup?"

Lindsey nodded. "Okay."

Gil went up to Catherine's room, Lindsey following him. When he arrived at the door, he peeked his head around it, smiling slightly as he saw Catherine still asleep.

"I'll wait here and hold the plate and syrup," Lindsey decided, taking the plate from Gil's hand.

He looked at her quizzically for a moment, then nodded and went inside. Lindsey peeked around the door, watching silently.

Gil sat on the edge of the bed, his hand gently resting on Catherine's shoulder. "Cath?" he murmured.

Catherine mumbled something in her sleep, not waking up. Gil lay down beside her, facing her, and reached over, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Cath? It's me, Gil. Time to wake up, beautiful." The endearment slipped out, and he barely noticed it. "I made pancakes."

Catherine slowly started to stir, and her eyes opened, looking at him. "Hi," she murmured.

He smiled at her. "Hi."

They lay there, just watching each other for a moment, content in the silence.

"I made pancakes," Gil told her.

"I like pancakes."

Gil grinned. "I know you do." He gestured to the doorway. "We better make sure Lindsey hasn't eaten them all."

Catherine nodded and Gil helped her sit up against the headboard.

"Morning, mom," Lindsey said, bringing the plate and syrup in.

"Hey, baby," Catherine smiled. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a log," Lindsey replied.

Gil looked at her sharply, surprised at the difference of replies. Lindsey looked up at him, a wise look on her face.

"That's good," Catherine said, as Lindsey settled the plate on her lap. "These look great, Gil."

"I aim to please," he replied, sitting on the side of the bed. "I didn't bring you a drink, because I wasn't sure what you'd like."

"That's okay. Um…orange juice would be nice."

"I'll get it!" Lindsey volunteered, disappearing downstairs.

"It's nice to have her home," Catherine said, watching her daughter go. She turned back to Gil. "Thank you."

"You have nothing to thank me for," Gil promised her. "I'll always be here when you need me, Catherine."

Catherine took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "You always have."

"I just wish…" Gil stopped and shook his head. "Never mind."

Catherine's hands cupped his face, forcing him to look back at her. "Just wish what, Gil?"

"I wish that I could have prevented this. Taken care of you better."

"Don't start thinking like that. He would have got what he wanted one way or another."

For some reason, that comment hurt Gil almost as much as the fact he hadn't prevented this from happening.

Catherine's hand went to his face. "Don't. Don't go there."

"I can't help it." Gil took a deep breath. "I hate him for doing this to you. I hate that he laid a finger on you. I hate that he forced you. I hate that he took something that wasn't his to take."

"He didn't take anything from me, Gil."

"Yes. Yes he did," Gil told her. "He took a part of you, Catherine. And I'm damn well going to get it back."

Catherine moved closer to him. She snuggled against him, her head burying in his chest. "You have no idea how much you mean to me. How important you are. How much you've helped me."

"I'm so proud of you. You've come so far."

"Thanks to you."

"No…thanks to you. I can help, but you have to do most of the hard work." Gil smiled down at her.

"Can I come back in?" Lindsey asked, hesitating at the door.

"Of course you can," Catherine told her, looking up. She didn't move from Gil's embrace, even when Gil sat her up next to him.

Lindsey brought in the orange juice, setting it on the bedside table. She paused at the side of the bed. "Is it okay…I mean, will it hurt you if I sit up there too?"

"No," Catherine assured her. "In fact, it will probably make me feel better."

Lindsey's face lit up and she crawled up beside her mother. "Does it?"

"Absolutely," Catherine told her. "Much better."

"Try the pancakes," Gil entreated.

"You know, Lindsey, you need to watch out for Uncle Gil. If he keeps making me eat his cooking, I'll be as big as a house."

Lindsey burst out laughing, and Gil's heart leapt for joy inside.

Catherine Willows had made a joke.

Her first joke since her attack.

Life was good.

* * *

"Why should my client do a lineup?"

Warrick blinked. "Because your client already confessed to raping CSI Willows and almost killing her."

"If she'd just cooperated, I wouldn't have had to restrain her," Dale Graves explained.

"You make me sick," Nick growled.

"Oh, that really helps," the lawyer, Michael Smith commented.

"Certainly made me feel a lot better," Nick said, sitting back.

"Mr. Graves will be submitting to a line up," Brass said. "Here's the paperwork."

* * *

"You sure I shouldn't come?"

Gil smiled down at Lindsey. "I'm sure. Your mother needs you to go to school. She needs normalcy at the moment."

Lindsey nodded. "Of course. I'll get to making my lunch right away."

Gil put a hand on her shoulder. "Lindsey?"

The little girl looked up. "Yeah, Uncle Gil?"

"Thank you. You've been, and continue to be, so helpful to me, and particularly your mom."

Lindsey grinned and hugged him. "Glad to help."

After he saw Lindsey go and get ready for school, Gil decided to go upstairs and see how Catherine was going.

He stopped at the doorway to the room, smiling as he saw her standing in front of the mirror. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

She turned around, to look at him. "You can still see the cut on my face."

Gil walked over to her, gently raising his hand and touching the spot. "Only if you were really looking for it. And it still doesn't detract from the fact that you're beautiful."

Catherine smiled softly at him. "Thank you."

"It's the truth," Gil replied.

Her hand reached up and touched his. "Gil…I…"

"I'm ready to go!" Lindsey said, coming into the room.

Both Catherine and Gil dropped their hands.

"That's great honey," Catherine smiled. "I'm glad you're going to school."

"Me too! I love school. It's normal," Lindsey told her.

Catherine arched an eyebrow at Gil, who shrugged.

"So, I'm gonna go catch the bus now." Lindsey leaned up and kissed her mother, hugging her. Then she turned to Gil and hugged him too. "See you later guys!"

Catherine watched her bundle of energy leave the house, and then she turned back to Gil. "Normal?"

"I have no idea what's gotten into her," Gil replied. He glanced at her. "Cath…before Lindsey came in…what were you going to say?"  
Catherine looked up at him, then down at her shoes. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"I just…" She bit her lip.

Gil waited patiently. He knew she needed her time.

"Thankyou."

He raised an eyebrow.

"For being here with me. Through all of this."

"I will always be here for you, Cath." He pulled her into a warm, comforting embrace.

"I love you, Gil," she whispered against his ear, tears escaping her eyes.

He said nothing for a moment, just letting the words wash over him. "Say it again," he almost pleaded.

"I…I love you." A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she said it again. For some reason, it seemed easier to say once you'd said it the first time.

"I've waited a very, very long time to hear you say that to me." Gil tilted her head up so she looked at him. "I love you too, Catherine. So much."

His arms tightened around her, holding her close. "Catherine?" he whispered.

She pulled back a little from him, just enough so she could see his face.

"Can I…Would it be alright if I…if I kissed you?" He was nervous. He didn't want to push her. But he thought maybe…maybe this step forward they had taken could also help to heal her.

Catherine didn't say a word, just nodded slowly. His touch soothed her, and she needed him so badly.

Carefully, Gil lowered his head and captured her lips with his own. Catherine closed her eyes as he deepened the kiss, and she leaned into his solid body. Suddenly, her mind flicked away from the present and delved into the past.

She pushed him away, eyes wide and slowly backing away from him.

Gil watched her, and saw the fear in her eyes. "Cath…I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"It's not you. It's me."

"No, it's him," Gil said quickly.

"I'm just…" She was starting to get upset. "I'm so goddamn scared all the time! And I want this! I want you! But then HE comes back to haunt me!"

Gil sat down on the bed, wanting to give her as much space as she needed. "Don't let him, Cath. Fight him." He didn't want to make her more upset, but he knew deep inside himself – and in herself – that she could fight this.

"I can't…I try, but…" She held her head in her hands and sank to the floor.

"I know it's hard, Catherine. But I know you can do this. I know you don't want to let him win and he won't win. Because you're stronger than he is. You're a fighter. You always have been." He willed himself not to scare her by moving closer. "I believe in you, Catherine."

She looked up at him. "Help me?"

Gil nodded. "I'll always help you, Catherine. I'm here for you. Whenever you need me."

Slowly, Catherine stood up. Her eyes locked on his and she slowly started to make her way over to him.

Gil held a hand out to her and she smiled, taking it and sitting down on the bed next to him.

"Hold me. Please."

Gil smiled and took her in his arms. "I love you, Catherine. And everything will be okay."

"As long as you're with me," she smiled, snuggling against him.

TBC  



	7. 7

7 

Warrick stood alone in the middle of the hall, watching as Gil and Cath walked in. Something had changed. He couldn't quite pick it, but something had changed. Catherine was gripping Gil's hand, and leaning into him almost.

"Hi, Warrick," Gil said.

"Hey." He turned to Cath. "Hey, Catherine. It's good to see you."

"Hi, Warrick," Catherine said softly.

"Where is everyone?" Gil asked.

"Sander's in DNA. Ecklie had some runover. Sara and Nick are in the breakroom. Brass is down the hall."

"Could you say hi to them for me?" Catherine asked.

Warrick nodded, a smile on his face. "Sure. They'd like that."

Brass slowly made his way down the hall. "Hi, Catherine. Hi, Gil."

"Hi, Jim," Gil said.

Catherine waved hello with her free hand, the other clutching tightly to Gil's.

"Are you ready?" Warrick asked her.

She looked up at Gil, who smiled reassuringly at her. "Okay," she told them.

As they followed Warrick and Brass down the hall, Gil bent down to whisper in her ear.

"I know you can do this. You're so amazing."

"I'm scared."

Gil nodded. "I know. But I'll be there with you. And Warrick, and Brass. You're safe."

They arrived at the viewing room, Gil relieved to see the other side was empty.

"So, Catherine..." Brass was uncomfortable, wondering if he needed to remind Catherine how it worked.

Before he could say anything, Michael Smith breezed in. "This CSI Willows?"

Catherine shrunk some more against Gil, her head resting against his shoulder.

"This is Michael Smith"Brass explained. "He's defending the piece of...Dale Graves," he corrected. Brass turned back to Smith. "This is Catherine Willows."

Smith nodded towards her and then turned to the screen.

Warrick's eyes widened. Catherine was fiddling, and as she pushed her hair away from her face, he noticed that her fingers was laced through Gil's.

"Are you ready for us to bring them in?"Brass asked her.

Catherine jerked around, startled at his voice. She took a deep breath, feeling reassured when Gil squeezed her hand. "Okay," came the quiet reply.

"Before we continue, does Dr. Grissom really need to be here?" Smith asked.

"Why shouldn't he be?" Warrick asked.

Gil noticed the grip on his hand tighten and he glanced quickly at Catherine, who was going very pale.

"Because his presence could be prejudicial to the case. He's seen Mr. Graves and..."

As Brass, Warrick and Smith started to argue, Gil could feel Catherine start moving back towards the corner of the room.

"Cath..." he murmured, turning around.

"Don't leave me," she whispered. "I can't...this..."

"I'm not leaving you," he promised her. He was concerned as to how white she was. He turned back to the other three. "I'm staying."

Brass took one look at the two and nodded. "Okay."

"Look at her," Warrick hissed at Smith. "Take a good look and don't you dare insult Gil Grissom like that again."

Gil listened as Smith, Warrick and Brass finally reached an agreement while he turned back to Catherine. "It's going to be okay, Cath. I'm staying."

She nodded slowly, allowing him to help her back in front of the glass. Catherine was still pale, so Gil let her lean against him.

He felt her body stiffen as the men started to trickle in.

"Each man is going to say the line 'I knew you'd like this'," Brass explained.

Catherine inhaled sharply as the words were said, and Gil squeezed her hand in reassurance.

He wasn't sure how it was going to go when she heard Dale say those words. But he stood behind her, waiting with her.

Over and over again, the words were said, with each man stepping forward. Catherine tensed each time, her body full of nerves.

Then Number 6 stood forward, a simpering smirk on his face. "I knew you'd like this" Dale Graves told her.

On impulse Catherine turned pushing herself against Gil's body, trying to get away from the voice... the man... the memory. "That's him." She wimpered. "It's number 6... he was..." She squirmed away from Gil, just as his arms began to snake around her. "Shit... I can't..." She made a break for the door.

Gil's eyes widened and he bolted out after her. He saw her disappear into the women's bathroom, and he followed her.

His heart broke as he heard her retching into the toilet, and he found her. His hand held her hair back, his other one rubbing her back in soothing strokes.

She finally leant back against him, and Gil reached up and flushed the toilet as she took deep breaths.

Gil just held her against him, letting her settle a little.

"Can I have some water?" she whispered. "Really bad taste..."

"Of course,"Gil assured her. "I'll be right back."

In what he hoped was record time, he returned with water, sitting back down on the tiles beside her and letting her sip the drink.

"Better?" he asked, when she rested against him again.

She nodded, saying nothing.

Gil said nothing either, thinking it was better just to hold her.

"Uh, Catherine..." came Sara's voice.

Catherine's body tensed against Gil.

"We're okay, Sara," Gil said.

Sara froze and arched an eyebrow. "Grissom?"

"Yes. Sara. I'm here."

"In the women's bathroom."

Gil frowned. "Yes, Sara. We're both alright. We'll be out later."

"Okay," Sara agreed. "Just uh...ask if you want anything." With that, she closed the door behind her as she left the room.

Catherine moved against Gil. "Gil?"

"Mhm?"

"Can we go home?"

"Of course we can," Gil agreed. "Are you alright to stand?"

"Just a bit wobbly," Catherine murmured, as Gil helped her up.

Gil supported her and they made their way out of the bathroom.

"Hey," Warrick said, making his way up to them. He ran a concerned eye over Catherine. "Everything okay?"

Gil nodded. "I'm going to take Catherine home now."

"No problem. Hope to see you soon, Cath," Warrick smiled easily.

Catherine managed a nervous smile. "Thanks, Warrick."

Warrick leant against the wall as he watched Gil take Catherine out. Today he'd noticed a little glimmer of the Catherine that he'd known before the attack.

Grissom was bringing her back to them.

* * *

Lindsey raced into the house, dropping her bag by the door, eager to see how her mom was.

"Is that where the bag goes?"

Lindsey's eyes widened and she turned around, easing when she realized it was Gil. "Hi, Uncle Gil."

"Hi. How was school?"

Lindsey shrugged. "Fine."

"Is that where the bag goes?"

Lindsey contemplated her answer for a moment. "Yes?"

Gil, not knowing whether that was right or wrong, simply nodded. "Okay."

Lindsey grinned. This was going to be useful. "How's mom?"

"She had a hard day today. I was just looking for an afternoon snack. You want one?"

Lindsey nodded, hunger winning over. "Sure." She sat at the bench. "Is she awake?"

"You can go see if you want."

Lindsey grinned. "Okay"

She ran upstairs and paused outside her mother's bedroom. Catherine was lying down, her eyes closed. Lindsey turned to go back downstairs.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"I thought you were asleep."

Catherine opened her eyes. "Just resting." She patted the bed beside her. "How was school?"

Lindsey walked in and crawled onto the bed next to her mother. "It was okay. Uncle Gil said you had a hard day."

Catherine put her arm around her daughter. "Yeah, I did. But it's a whole lot better now for seeing you." She encountered an envelope sticking out of Lindsey's pocket. "Linds?"

"It's nothing," Lindsey said, pulling out the envelope and handing it over to her mother.

Catherine opened it. "Louise is having a party?"

Lindsey nodded. "Sleepover."

"That sounds like a lot of fun."

"I can't go,"Lindsey replied.

Catherine frowned. "Why not?"

"You need someone to take care of you."

"Lindsey..." Catherine turned to face her daughter. "Honey, Uncle Gil is here. And he's taking really good care of me. I want you to go out and have fun."

"I like Uncle Gil."

Catherine smiled softly. "Me too."

"Is he going to stay around here? He makes you happy."

"He does. And I hope he will."

Lindsey squirmed around in her mother's arms, a curious look on her face. "Mom?"

"Mhm?"

"Are you in love with Uncle Gil?"

"Lindsey..." Catherine didn't know how to reply. It was all new to her. Gil knowing, wanting to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him. "It's complicated."

Lindsey sighed. "Okay. Okay."She went to get off the bed, but Catherine took her arm.

"Lindsey."

"Yeah?"

Catherine took a deep breath. "I love him very much, Lindsey. But.. it's going to take some time for us to be normal again, okay?"

Lindsey arched an eyebrow. "No offence mom, but you and Uncle Gil have NEVER been normal"

A small smile tugged at Catherine's lips. "Yes. Well."

"I thought you might like food." Gil said, rounding the corner.

Catherine froze, wondering how much of the conversation he had heard. "Food...food is good."

"You've always thought so," Gil nodded. He turned to Lindsey. "As have you."

Lindsey caught the tension in the room. "Food is great!" She grabbed some from the tray. "I have homework."

Before either of them could reply, Lindsey had disappeared out of the room, leaving the couple alone once again.

"Hungry?"Gil asked.

Catherine nodded. "Yeah." She cocked her head to one side. "Gil, did you hear our conversation?"

"I heard that you and I have NEVER been normal,"he admitted. "Care to explain?"

"Lindsey asked if I was in love with you."

"Ah. The easy questions."

Catherine smiled slightly. He always eased her mind. "Yes. I told her that I did. But it was complicated and it was going to take some time for us to be normal again."

"I don't think I've ever been classified as normal," Gil replied, sitting beside her.

"Gil?"

"Yeah?"

"How can you want something so badly, and yet be so afraid of it at the same time?"

Gil sat beside her, gently gathering her in his arms. "After everything you've been through, Catherine, you've come so far."

"I want to go further. We've waited for so long, and I want you and this so much."

"We will, Catherine. I promise you, more than anything in the world, we will do everything you want. But we just have to fight this battle first."

Catherine leant over, her hand touching his cheek.

"Cath..."

"Please...let me."

Gil didn't move, letting her take her time.

Catherine pressed her lips against his gently, letting her body press against his. She pulled back for a moment. "Kiss me back," she pleaded.

He nodded and their lips met again. Her arms circled around his neck, her body back to pressing against him.

Gil's arms tentatively went around her waist, a shiver going down his body as he felt her moan against his kiss.

"Hey guys I was just wondering if..." Lindsey paused. "Ah."

The kiss broke, but instead of pulling away, Catherine rested against Gil.

"Well, that answers that question,"Lindsey muttered. "I'm guessing you two discussed that whole relationship thing."

"Yes we did."Catherine smiled at Gil, their eyes locking.

He grinned.

"I think you were right, mom."

"I was?" Catherine pulled away from Gil, focusing on her daughter. She wasn't sure if they were talking about her relationship with Gil.

"Yeah,"; Lindsey muttered. "I should go to that sleepover party."

TBC  



	8. 8

Part 8

The entirety of this part is posted at my website. This is the R version

"Gil?"

Gil looked over at Catherine who was curled up on the couch reading. "Yeah?"

"When are you going back to work?"

"I'm taking extended leave."

"It's been a month."

"Hence the extended part."

She put her book down. "Maybe you could go in to do some paperwork."

Gil arched an eyebrow. "Why would I want to do that?"

Catherine paused for a minute. "Because maybe I could come with you."

Gil put down the journal on entomology that he was reading. "You want to come and do paperwork?"

Catherine smiled slightly. "I feel safe with you, Gil. And I don't want to spend the rest of my life being scared. And I thought maybe…I could come with you and say hi to the team. Slowly."

"I'm sure they'd like that. They've been asking after you."

Catherine nodded. "So…what do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea. If you're ready." He looked at her. "Would you like to try a night next week?"

"Okay."

Gil smiled at her. She grinned back and slowly made her way over to him and nestled herself in his lap.

He put his arms around her. "You're doing so well, Cath. I'm so proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you." She placed her hand in his. "Love you, Gil."

"I love you too, Catherine." He kissed her forehead. "Very much."

* * *

"Have you got your toothbrush?"

Lindsey looked over at Gil. "Yes, Uncle Gil."

"And your pajamas."

"Yes, Uncle Gil."

From the passenger seat, Catherine glanced over at Gil, trying to hide a smirk.

"And your friends birthday present?"

"Yes, Uncle Gil."

Gil pulled up in front of the house and took off his seatbelt. Lindsey looked at him, aghast.

"You're not coming in, are you!"

Gil glanced at Catherine, who gently shook her head.

"Um, no of course not. I just…just wanted to be able to turn around to give you a kiss goodbye."

Lindsey giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "Bye Uncle Gil! Bye Mom! Have fun tonight." She got out of the car and made her way up to the front door.

Gil and Cath waited until they saw her go in, and the mother wave from the front door.

"Home?" Gil asked Catherine.

She nodded.

* * *

Catherine sat down to the candlelit dinner table. "Gil…you didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"I wanted to," he replied, sitting down opposite her. "You deserve a nice meal."

"And I love steak," she said, smelling the dinner.

"Enjoy," Gil told her.

They ate in companionable silence, and when they had finished, Gil took the plates into the kitchen to clean up. Catherine blew out the candles and followed him in.

"Can I help?"

Gil turned around and smiled at her. "Almost finished. The magic of dishwashers."

Catherine smiled back. "I…was going to take a bath. You…uh…want to come with me?"

He nodded and took her hand as they went up to the bathroom.

Catherine slowly started getting undressed, and Gil ran the water for her.

"You can look, you know," Catherine said, smiling softly when she realized that he was staring at the bath.

"I just wanted to give you your privacy."

"Gil. Turn around."

He turned around, his eyes locked on hers. He slowly glanced at her, noticing her bruises were starting to heal. "Your bath is ready."

Gil helped Catherine slide down in the bath, and she groaned in relief as the hot water hit her body.

Catherine's eyes jerked to his, as she felt his hand stroke across her shoulder. "Gil?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

She nodded slowly.

"Will you let me do this for you?"

She nodded again, knowing instinctively what he was going to do.

"If you want me to stop, just say," Gil promised her.

"Okay," she said quietly, her eyes locking on his.

Keeping his eyes on hers, Gil's fingers caressed her shoulders and neck. He smiled at her. "You're beautiful, Cath."

Catherine smiled shyly at him.

Gil felt her tense slightly when his hand touched her left breast. He didn't remove it, but just watched her eyes. "Is this okay?"

"Yes," she whispered, her voice not quite steady.

He smiled softly at her. "Good," he murmured. "I want to make you feel good." His fingers stroked tenderly, circling her nipple then moving outwards again.

Her eyes watched his hand as it traveled across to caress her right breast, lavishing the same attention as he had given the left.

"Lean back," he entreated, helping her lean back against the head of the bath.

Blue met blue as his fingers traced down her body, pausing to caress her stomach, which twitched under the stimulation.

"Gil…"

Movements stopped again. He looked at her. "It's okay, Cath. Whatever you want…"

"Don't stop," came the whisper.

His eyes widened for a moment, but then he smiled and nodded.

* * *

"Gil."

Gil smiled softly at her. "Hi, beautiful."

"I…wow."

"Want some help out of the tub?"

She nodded, and he helped her stand up on shaky legs. After rubbing her down, they made their way into the bedroom, and curled up on the bed together.

"Thank you," she whispered, her trembling fingers resting against his chest.

"What for?" Gil asked, kissing the top of her head.

"It wasn't him."

"I don't understand, baby."

"It wasn't him forcing me, it wasn't him that I saw. When I came, I saw you. It was you. And me."

Gil let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "I'm glad."

"Sleep now," she decided, resting her head on his chest.

Gil grinned. "That's right. Sleep now."

TBC  



	9. 9

Sorry this took so long. I honestly thought I'd uploaded it in the last update. blush

Part 9

Catherine awoke the next morning feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. She glanced over at Gil, who was sleeping peacefully, his arms still tight around her.

She liked that he never let go of her.

It made her feel safe and…and loved.

She leant over, slightly nervous and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"Good morning," Gil murmured, as she settled beside him.

"Hi," she whispered.

His hand gently caressed her face. "That's a great way to wake up."

She smiled slightly. "Glad you enjoyed it."

"How are you feeling today?"

"Safe," she replied.

He smiled broadly. "Good. I intend on making you feel that way for the rest of your life."

Catherine took his hand and kissed it. "Thank you, again, for last night."

"You don't have to thank me," he replied, smiling at her. "Watching you…seeing how you felt, it made me feel pretty amazing too."

Catherine surprised them both by leaning over and hugging him tight. "I love you, Gil. You have no idea how much."

Gil hugged her back, his arms going around her waist. "I do, Cath. Because I love you just as much."

They pulled apart, before snuggling together again, just content being around each other. Gil was happy that a little of his Catherine was coming back.

"I thought I might make some breakfast. You hungry?"

Catherine nodded. "Absolutely."

* * *

Gil watched as Catherine flipped through the paper. He smiled at how domestic the scene seemed. Him, cooking breakfast for the two of them, with Catherine sitting and reading reviews of movies out loud to him.

"This "Team America" sounds like a rude, crude and very bad version of the Thunderbirds," Catherine murmured. "Or at least the puppets look like it."

"See, this is why I like old movies," Gil replied, dishing the breakfast out. "Because they're simple, nice and happy."

Catherine glanced up at him. "I hardly think some of them are simple, Gil."

"I don't mean simple as in simple stories. Some of them are very complex. I just mean that they don't have all these peculiar undertones with words I don't understand."

"Teen speak?" Catherine suggested.

Gil nodded. "Yeah. Take Katharine Hepburn for instance. She was a beautiful actress, and her parts were always perfectly acted. And she could talk. And talk well."

Catherine smiled. "I love Katharine Hepburn too."

"I particularly liked the chemistry she had with Spencer Tracy. The way they played married couples, or warring couples…it was electric." He smiled at her. "You remind me of Katharine Hepburn."

"This is a new side of you, Gil," Catherine murmured. "I like it." She smirked. "You remind me of Spencer Tracy."

He smiled, sitting down opposite her. "We've never really had time to talk about movies before."

"Or see movies together." Catherine put the paper down. "What about Phantom of the Opera?"

"Gaston Leroux. Tells the story of a disfigured man who…"

"The movie, Gil."

"Ah. There have been two. The original version…"

"Gil." Catherine glanced at him. "I want to see the movie."

"Okay. When you're ready, we can…"

"I want to see it today."

Gil put his fork down. "Are you sure?"

Catherine nodded slightly. "As long as you're with me…no matter how corny this sounds…I feel like I can do anything."

Gil nodded and smiled. "Then I guess we're going to see the Phantom of the Opera."

* * *

Catherine held tightly to Gil's free hand as they stood in the movie foyer. They had just got some things for the movie: popcorn, drinks and m&m's. She took a deep breath.

"Gil?"

He turned to look at her, sitting the food down as he fished the tickets out of his pocket. "Yeah?"

"I'm uh…going to go into the bathroom, okay?"

Gil nodded. "Okay."

Catherine took a step towards it, before turning back. "If I'm not out in fifteen minutes…come and get me?"

He squeezed her hand. "I promise." Before she could leave though, he whispered in her ear. "Nothing is going to happen to you in there. I promise you."

Catherine nodded and headed into the bathroom.

Gil sat down on the chair, right opposite the women's bathroom, and simply watched the time. "Please let her be okay," he whispered to himself.

A few minutes later she returned, a triumphant smile on her face. He looked up at her and grinned, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"I'm ready to go in now," Catherine pronounced.

When they got inside, the cinema was still light. They found a seat towards the back, and to their delight, the arm rest in between lifted, so they could snuggle together during the movie.

They got settled and Gil chuckled as Catherine attempted to toss M&M's in her mouth.

"I'm really glad we got a big bag," he decided.

The lights began to dim, and Catherine froze. She buried her body into Gil's.

"No…" she whispered.

"It's alright, Cath," he whispered back. His arm was tight around her and he kissed the top of her head. "He's not here. No one's going to hurt you. I've got you and you're safe. The movie is going to come on and we'll snuggle and eat all of this great junk food."

"Promise…" Catherine said, her hands fisting into his shirt.

"I swear to you, Catherine. No one is going to hurt you." Gil's arms tightened around her, his hand stroking her back. "I swear to you."

Catherine's head slowly rose, when she could hear the noise from the movie screen. She looked up at Gil who smiled reassuringly at her, and the tenseness started to leave her body. Finally, she rested her head on his shoulder, her hands still tightly gripping him, and turned towards the screen.

* * *

"Have you told Grissom and Catherine about this?" Nick asked Brass, who stood with him, Warrick and Sara outside two of the interrogation rooms.

"I tried them at home, and their cells," Brass explained. "No one was at home, and their cells were off."

"They don't need to be here anyway, do they?" Sara asked.

Brass shook his head. "It's going to be bad enough for both of them at the trial, particularly Catherine. There's no need to make it any worse by bringing them down here for this. It's just a formality."

"Let's do it," Warrick said.

Brass walked into the first room, with Warrick behind him. Sara and Nick stood in the observation area.

"Officer Stan Graves?"

The sullen officer looked up at Brass. "You know who I am."

"Stand up."

Stan stood up, and Brass gestured to the two officers in the room. "Stan Graves, you are under arrest for conspiracy in a rape and attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent…"

When Stan Graves had been read his rights and escorted to the holding cells, the team and Brass moved onto the next interrogation room.

Once again, Warrick went in with Brass, while Nick and Sara observed.

"Dale Graves?"

"What do you want?"

"Stand up."

Dale leant back. "What the hell for?"

Warrick went around behind him and pulled the chair out, tipping Dale out. "Stand the hell up, you piece of punk ass shit."

Dale Graves got to his feet. He was about to lash out at Warrick, when the two officers grabbed hold of him and cuffed him.

Brass grinned. "You have no idea how much pleasure this gives me. Dale Graves – you piece of punk ass, lying, scum-faced shit, you are under arrest for the rape and attempted murder of CSI Willows. You have the right to remain silent…so shut the hell up. You have the right to an attorney…god knows why."

* * *

Catherine curled up next to Gil on the bed, her head resting in his lap as his fingers ran through her hair.

"The movie was good," she whispered.

"It was," Gil agreed, still stroking. "What time do I need to pick Lindsey up from school?"

"3.15." Catherine closed her eyes for a moment. "Can I come with you?"

"Of course you can."

"Today has been a good day."

"It has," Gil agreed, leaning down.

Catherine smiled and leant up, their lips meeting in a soft kiss.

The phone rang and they broke apart regretfully. Catherine lay back down in his lap as Gil grabbed the phone. "Grissom."

Catherine's eyes were closed, content with Gil stroking her, so she didn't see the look of anger and concern come over his face as Warrick explained about the arrests.

Gil put the phone down.

"Who was it?" Catherine asked, a small smile playing on her lips as Gil continued his ministrations.

"Just Warrick. Checking on everything. Filling me in. Boring stuff really." He didn't want her to know. Today was a good day, and he wasn't going to ruin it for her.

TBC


	10. 10

Part 10 

Catherine leant against the Tahoe, Gil's arms around her as they watched the kids start to trickle out of the school. Lindsey finally came out, talking to her friends. When she saw her mother and Gil, a smile lit up her face, and she raced across to them.

"MOM!"

"Hey, honey," Catherine smiled, hugging her. "How was school?"

"It was fine. How are you?"

"I'm doing good."

Lindsey grinned and hopped in the backseat, as Gil held the doors open for his two girls. Then he went around to the driver's seat and got in.

"Where to?" he asked, pretending to be a chauffer.

"Can we go get ice cream?" Lindsey asked.

"That sounds like fun!" Catherine said, turning to Gil.

He paused and watched her carefully. "Are you sure?" he murmured.

She nodded and took his hand. "I really want to."

Lindsey waited silently in the backseat for the conversation in the front of the car to reach its conclusion.

Gil kissed her hand. "Okay. Let's go get ice cream!"

* * *

They were soon all seated at the ice cream parlor. Catherine had a double choc chip sundae, Gil had peppermint swirl and Lindsey had rainbow blitz.

Under the table, Gil and Catherine held hands, and his touch relaxed her.

"Tell us about your day, Lindsey," Gil asked, his hand slowly stroking the top of Catherine's.

"It was okay. Just typical school stuff. I didn't get any homework today, which was great."

"That's great, Lindsey," Catherine said, a grin on her face. "No homework."

"What did you guys do?" Lindsey asked.

"I took your mom to the movies," Gil explained.

Lindsey's eyes lit up and she turned to her mother. "Really?"

Catherine nodded. "Yeah. We went and saw the "Phantom of the Opera."

"Cool. Was it good?"

"I had a really good time," Catherine admitted, squeezing Gil's hand.

"We both did," Gil agreed.

Lindsey wrinkled her nose. "You guys didn't get all mushy in public, did you?"

"It was dark. No one could see us," Catherine teased.

Gil felt a tug on his heart. For once, he could slowly see his old Catherine coming back to him. But he was so afraid that she was going to be taken away again by the trial.

* * *

Catherine cuddled closer to Gil as she heard the alarm go off. "Gil…why is the alarm going off?"

"You wanted to come to work with me tonight, remember?"

"Mhm…"

He took her hand, kissing it gently. "You sure you still want to come?"

"Absolutely," she agreed. She looked up at him. "Just paperwork though, right? I don't have to go anywhere?"

"I promise, just paperwork," Gil assured her, caressing her cheek. "As long as you're ready."

"As corny as it sounds, I feel like I can do anything when you're with me."

"It's not corny," Gil said. "And I'm so glad you feel that way." He smiled and kissed her gently. "How about you start getting ready? I'll go see if Lindsey has finished her homework."

Catherine nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Gil went and knocked on Lindsey's door. After her invitation to come in, he peeked around the door. "How's it going, Lindsey?"

She looked up. "Hi, Uncle Gil. It's all okay. Just finishing the maths."

"You remembered that I'm taking your mom to work tonight?"

Lindsey nodded and put the pen down. "You think she's going to be okay? I don't think we should push her."

"I know. But this was her idea, and she's going to be with me in my office the whole time. I'll take care of her Lindsey."

Lindsey smiled. "I know."

* * *

Catherine signed her name with a flourish and placed the paper on top of the "done" pile.

"Another one done!"

Gil peered over his glasses at her, a grin on his face. "Having fun?"

"I always thought I'd ask you to shoot me if I ever said this…but yeah, I'm having fun doing paperwork."

Gil grinned. "And I never thought I'd say this…but I'm glad you're having fun doing paperwork."

Greg knocked on the door, for the first time looking shy about it. "Uh, I just wanted to say hi, Catherine."

Catherine looked up and smiled warmly at him. "Hi, Greg. It's good to see you again."

Greg got one of his bashful smiles on his face. "Yeah…well…see you soon!" He disappeared out of the hallway.

Catherine turned back to Gil. "It's good to see him again."

"It's good to see you here again," Gil murmured.

Catherine met his eyes, reaching over and taking his hand. "I don't know what I would have done without you over the past couple of months."

Gil kissed her hand. "Let's not think about it."

Jim Brass was their next visitor. "Hi, Catherine."

Catherine smiled. "Hi, Jim."

Jim turned to Gil. "Stan Graves lawyer wants to plea bargain. He reckons avoiding trial for Catherine is his reason but…"

Catherine looked confused. "Jim…what trial?"

Jim turned back to her. "We arrested Stan and Dale this morning. Warrick rang Gil when we were about to do it…" He trailed off once he realized Catherine hadn't known. "Ah. You know what, I'll talk to you later." He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Catherine slowly turned around to face Gil. "How could you not tell me?"

"It was the first day since the attack that I've ever seen you truly happy. I didn't want to upset you."

Catherine curled her feet up under her. Gil frowned. That wasn't good.

"There's going to be a trial."

Gil was out of his chair, taking her hand and leading her to the couch. He enfolded her in his arms. "Yes, Cath. There is going to be a trial."

"And I'll have to see him again."

"You may have to see both of them." He cupped her face. "I'll be there with you, Catherine. The entire time. I promise."

"I can't do it," she murmurs, burrowing into him.

"Yes you can, Catherine." He hugged her, then looked into her eyes. "You know how I know?"

She shook her head slightly.

"Because look how far you've come. You went to the movies. You went to pick Lindsey up from school. You let me kiss you and tell you that I love you." His hand caressed her cheek. "And you let me touch you."

There was a knock at the door and Catherine burrowed further into Gil's body. He glanced up at the door, exasperation on his face. "I'm busy!"

"Well, I'm the Assistant Director, so you don't have a right to be too busy for me," Conrad Ecklie said, barging in.

Catherine's hands gripped painfully to Gil's body.

"Ecklie…take a few steps back and quieten down," Gil told him.

"Grissom…I need to speak with Catherine."

"Ecklie, I'm telling you now…back off," Gil growled. "Can't you see she's upset?"

"Do what he says, Ecklie," Sara murmured, standing behind the man. "You don't want to be responsible for causing CSI Willows anymore trauma, do you?"

Ecklie and Gil looked surprised. They knew Sara's dislike for Catherine, so this came as a surprise.

"Please, Ecklie," Gil said, changing tones. "I've never begged for anything before…but I will for this."

Ecklie took a step back. "No need for begging. I just wanted to…see how Catherine was doing." He took another step back, bypassing Sara. "You have my good wishes, Catherine."

With that, Ecklie disappeared. Sara took a long, sad look at the couple. "I'll make sure people know you're not to be disturbed," she told him, closing the door as she left.

When the room was quiet again, Gil turned back to the woman in his arms. "It's okay, Catherine. Everyone's gone now. You're safe. It's just me."

The grip on his body loosened, and a shaking Catherine looked back up at him.

He smiled down at her, kissing her forehead. "It's okay. I'm here. Just you and me."

Catherine nodded slowly, still holding onto him. "I can't do a trial, Gil."

Gil hated himself for what he was about to do. "Yes, you can, Catherine. And you have to."

Catherine looked up at him, her eyes wide. "No. Gil, don't make me. Please…"

Gil felt his heart breaking. "Catherine, you have to. If you don't, they'll be walking around free or worse…they could come back to you."

"No…I won't…"

He gripped her by the arms. "Catherine, for god's sakes, be sensible about this! Do you want to spend the rest of your life being scared? The Catherine I knew wouldn't let them win!"

Gil felt the sting of her hand as it hit him. She struggled underneath him, pushing him away.

"I'm not that person anymore," she told him.

Gil wouldn't let her go. "You are," he fired back, ignoring the ache on his face. "You're Catherine Willows. CSI Level 4. My partner in everything. The woman I love more than anything in the world. And you CAN do this. I know you can. You're the strongest person I know. And I will be right there with you. I promise. I love you, Catherine. I love you so much."

Catherine stopped struggling, looking up at him. "I hit you," she whispered, a tear running down her face. "God…I hit you."

Gil kissed the tear away. "It's okay, Cath. I forgave you the moment you did it. It was my fault. I shouldn't have hurt you."

"I'm sorry," Catherine whispered, kissing him. "I'll do it. Just promise you'll stay. You won't leave me."

"I won't leave you," Gil said, hugging her. "Ever."

They both looked at each other for a moment, realizing the position they were in…Gil laying on top of her. Catherine leant up and kissed him, her arms wrapping around his neck, deepening the kiss almost the second it began.

Gil indulged in the kiss a moment, and how right it felt to be pressed against Catherine like this. Then he took a deep breath, and got up.

"Gil?" Catherine asked, looking up at him, breathing heavily.

"Not here. Not like this," he murmured, looking down at her. "When you're ready to take the next step…we will. But it will be in our bed, and just be the two of us. Okay?"

She nodded, a small smile on her face. Gil reached out his hand and helped her up.

"How about we take you home? I think we've both done enough paperwork for the night and we should get some sleep."

Catherine stood up beside him. "Okay. Gil?"

He looked back at her. "Mhm?"

"Thank you."

Gil smiled at her. "You're welcome, Cath. Forever."


	11. 11

Part 11

Phillip Kane gestured for Gil to sit down on the chair. "How's Catherine?"

"She's…we're…" Gil sighed. "It's going slowly."

Phillip arched an eyebrow. "What is? Your relationship or Catherine's healing?"

Gil glanced sharply at him. "What do you mean, our relationship?"

Phillip just stared at him.

"Both are going slowly," Gil finally answered. "I don't want to scare her."

"Scare her how?"

Gil adjusted his glasses. "You're shrinking me."

Phillip smiled. "Come on, Gil. From me to a lay therapist, tell me…how do you think you're going to scare her?"

Gil leant back in the chair. "When I first got to the hospital and saw her, after what happened…it scared me to death. I was confronted with the very real possibility that I had almost lost her."

"And then?"

"When I took her home, she needed help with everything. When I first saw…saw the extent of what he'd done to her, I was filled with rage, but at the same time…pain."

Phillip looked at him. "That's understandable. For someone who feels as much for Catherine as you do, it's only natural that you should feel pain and empathy for her."

"A few weeks ago, she told me that she'd seen me, and not him."

Phillip watched him very carefully. "What made her say that?"

Gil said nothing, but continued looking at his feet. He was starting to feel very uncomfortable.

Phillip finally nodded in understanding. "You slept together?"

Gil looked up at him. "No. Not yet." He frowned. "This is very uncomfortable."

"This may surprise you, Gil, but I'm used to talking to people about this. It's part of my job."

"Catherine will kill me for doing this."

"She doesn't know you've been coming to see me?"

Gil shook his head. "Catherine's not a big one for shrinks…" He paused and looked back up at Phillip. "No offence."

Phillip grinned. "None taken. Gil, the point is, that whatever happened between you and Catherine, it was something that you both wanted and both were comfortable with." He sat back in his chair. "And when something moves to the next level, it will be because you and Catherine are both ready for it."

Gil decided to change the subject. "There's going to be a trial. I'm afraid it's going to set Catherine back."

"What makes you think that?"

"She and I talked about it. She doesn't want to do it. She was very upset when it was mentioned."

"Gil, have you seen an improvement in Catherine since the attack?"

"Absolutely." A small smile came to his face. "The other day, I took her to a movie. She was a little nervous at first, but once I soothed her…she enjoyed it. We went and picked Lindsey up together and all went to get icecream. She even said that it was a good day." Gil looked back to Phillip. "It's the first time since the attack that she has said that."

"How did that make you feel?"

Gil barely noticed the fact that he was being "shrinked". "Proud. I think it was the first day since the attack that I had felt so good. So proud of her and that she's gotten through so much."

"And you're worried that the trial is going to take that all away."

"Yes. I don't want her back to where she was when I saw her for the first time in the hospital. She's come so far since then. When this first happened, it was like losing Catherine. I'm just starting to get her back and I don't want to lose her again."

"You're in love with her."

"Yes."

"You planning on leaving her through the trial?"

Gil gave him a shocked look. "Of course not!"

"Gil, there are three reasons that Catherine has gotten as far as she has. One, she has Lindsey. Two, she's an incredibly strong woman. And three, she has you. You've been there for her when she needed someone. That's what's helped her."

Gil smiled. "Well." He pushed his glasses up his nose. "I better get home to Lindsey and Catherine."

Phillip smirked. "Have a nice evening, Gil."

* * *

"Hi," Lindsey said, as Gil walked into the house. "Where were you?"

"Visiting a friend. Is everything okay?"

"If you call mom obsessively spring cleaning okay."

Gil arched an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"She's lost her mind. She's already done the downstairs bathroom, and now she's onto the kitchen. Keeps muttering something about how she's frustrated, just not good enough. And I think there was a "Where the hell is Gil?" in there too," Lindsey reported.

Gil hung his coat up and took a deep breath. "You eaten yet?"

Lindsey folded her arms. "Are you kidding? I'm not going in there while she's cleaning, let alone to make a mess by making dinner!"

Gil smiled slightly and pulled some money out of his wallet, handing it to the girl. "Call and order some pizza. I'll deal with your mom."

Lindsey took the money. "Good luck."

* * *

Catherine Willows currently was scrubbing her sink. A look of determination was on her face and Gil stood in the doorway, working up the courage to go in.

"Cath?"

She turned around and threw the soapy dishcloth at him. "Where the hell have you been?"

Gil took a deep breath. Trouble ahead. "I went to see a friend." He walked over to the sink and placed the cloth in it.

"I didn't know where you were. Your phone was off."

Gil was curious as to why her back was to him. "Cath…"

"You can't just drop us home and then say you'll be back soon."

Gil put his hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. His eyes widened when he saw that she had been crying, and tears trickled down her face.

"Catherine…"

"I need to know where you are," Catherine repeated.

"I'm sorry," Gil whispered, taking her in his arms. "I'm just…I'm not used to telling someone where I am. I'm sorry. I won't forget again."

She held tightly to him. "I can't be alone. I can't lose you."

"What gives you that idea? I'm not going anywhere, Catherine."

"Just…make sure you don't."

Gil decided not to press the issue anymore, and instead held her tight to him, caressing her gently.

"Dinner!" Catherine pulled back. "I didn't organize…"

"Cath…calm down," Gil told her. "Lindsey called for pizza. Everything's okay." His concerned eyes looked at her. "Was me being gone all you're worried about?"

"When we…make love…what if I'm not good anymore?"

He looked surprised for a moment, before taking her hand and taking her upstairs into their bedroom. Gil sat her on the bed, and he knelt in front of her. "Where did that come from?"

"The way…when he…" Catherine took a deep breath. "It had been a while anyway. And he…well…it wasn't." She sighed. "Then today in your office…I felt…I wanted to. For the first time in a long time…I wanted to. And then you stopped."

"I didn't want to stop," Gil admitted. "I wanted to be with you right there."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because you deserve better. Because when we first make love, I want to be somewhere where we don't have to worry about people knocking on doors or barging in. I want it to be somewhere where we can take our time exploring, touching and tasting. I want it to be somewhere where we can make love and then collapse and sleep together, because we're so exhausted and felt so much."

Catherine's eyes widened and then her mouth opened and closed. She took a deep breath and leant forward to kiss him gently. "I love you."

Gil smiled softly at her. "I love you too." He got up, as if to go downstairs, but Catherine took his hand.

"Wait."

Gil turned around to look at her. "What is it?"

Catherine's eyes looked into his. Another deep breath. "I want to make love before the trial."

Gil arched an eyebrow and he sat down beside her. "Why?"

Catherine folded her arms, looking away. "Why do you think?"

Gil cupped her face. "Tell me."

"Because I love you, and I want to and…" Catherine bit her lip.

"Tell me, Catherine."

Her eyes fell downward. "Because I want to make love before I lose my nerve and go backwards."

Gil's hand fell from her face. "I thought so."

Catherine glared at him. "Pleased with yourself, are we? What, you already know that when this trial starts I'm going to go back to being a blubbering, scared mess?"

Gil looked at her, in shock. "What?"

"I mean, god…what the hell is the matter with me?" She stood up. "In one weak moment, where I can't get him off of me…and then I turn into this big crybaby that needs to know where you are at every second. Needs you with her so she can walk into the place she works. And I'm scared of Ecklie for godsakes!"

"I'm sorry…let's back up a bit," Gil said. "You blame yourself for this?"

"Of course I do! Who else's fault can it be?" Catherine asked. "I'm a big girl. I've dealt with lots of bad guys and I can't even stop a drug dealer, who's probably high, from raping me! Jesus!"

Gil's eyes widened and he took her by the shoulders. "Catherine…what happened to you was not your fault!"

"I should have been able to stop him. I should have kneed him in the groin or done something! I just froze."

"He had a knife and a gun, Catherine. You could have been killed. It wasn't your fault."

"I should have stopped him. I'm trained for these kind of situations."

Gil took a deep breath and gripped her, forcing her to look at him. "Listen to me, Catherine. What happened to you was NOT your fault. You were forced to the ground, held at gunpoint, with a knife as well, and raped by a bastard who thought he could take what he wants. Well he couldn't. Because he couldn't take away you. He can't take away what an amazing person you are. I won't let him. Understand?"

Catherine looked at him for a moment. She said nothing for a moment, her anger slowly leaving her. Then she burst into tears.

Gil took her in his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. They sank to the bed together, hugging as Gil caressed her back.

"Shh. It's going to be okay, Catherine. You and I…especially you, are going to be okay."

* * *

Catherine rested her head in Gil's lap. He smiled and fed her a bit of pizza.

"Good choice, Linds," Catherine murmured through her munching.

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "You two are gross."

"Your mom and I had a talk," Gil said, caressing Catherine's cheek. "And we learnt a few things about each other."

"Like what?" Lindsey asked.

Catherine's hand rested in Gil's. "Like how things aren't our fault."

Lindsey glanced at the looks that Catherine and Gil were giving each other. "I'm so not going there."

"Want me to explain it?" Gil asked Catherine.

She shook her head. "I can." Reluctantly, she moved away from Gil and turned to Lindsey. "Linds…" Catherine took a deep breath. "After what happened, I wasn't just scared. I was angry. At myself."

Lindsey looked confused. "Why?"

"Because I blamed myself for what happened. I thought that I should have been able to defend myself. I felt I could have prevented it."

"But…"

Catherine put a hand up. "Let me finish, sweetheart. Uncle Gil talked to me. And we had a long talk. And I know…it wasn't my fault."

Lindsey folded her arms. "No offence. But duh."

Catherine smiled, lying back down on Gil's lap. "True."

"Are you going to be okay?"

Gil looked down at Catherine, waiting for her answer.

A small smile graced Catherine's lips as she reached up to trace Gil's jaw. "I'm going to be fine."

Lindsey got up to answer the now-ringing phone, and she chatted animatedly to her friend for a moment.

Catherine's fingers continued to trace Gil's face. "You're handsome."

Gil smirked. "You're a flatterer."

Lindsey rolled her eyes and looked over at them. "Hey, guys? Can I go over to Melissa's?"

"It's Friday night. So yes," Catherine agreed. "Are you guys having a sleepover?"

Lindsey nodded. "Yep."

"I'll drive her over," Gil offered.

A thought crossed Catherine's mind, and she smiled and nodded.


	12. 12

The original of this part is NC-17. It can be found at my website, or 12

Gil returned home, hanging up his coat and putting his keys down. "Cath? I'm home."

"Upstairs."

Gil made sure the door was locked and went around the house, locking up and checking things were secure. He started to make his way upstairs.

"Bedroom," came Catherine's nervous voice.

Gil arched an eyebrow. He made his way into the bedroom and he paused at the door. Catherine was lying in their bed, her satin nightgown flowing over her body. Her hair was down and she looked at him when he appeared in the doorway.

"Hey."

Gil walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hi."

Catherine put her hand out, taking his. "Gil…I know you said to wait until I was ready. But I am ready. I want to be with you."

"Cath…"

"Please. I want you so badly. I want to be with you. I want this."

Gil looked at her for a moment, hesitating. Catherine took his hand and placed it on her breast.

They stared at each other for a moment, and Gil gently caressed her through the nightgown.

Her eyes didn't waver.

"Cath…" Gil murmured, his hand resting on her hip. "Are you sure about this? I don't want to push you."

"I want this," she replied. "I want you. I want to make love with you."

"Anytime, you can say stop."

She nodded. "I know."

Gil bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. He kicked off his shoes and socks, and joined her on the bed.

She watched him for a moment, and smiled as he leaned down to kiss her again. His hand traced across her body, only touching her through the nightgown.

He slipped the straps from her shoulders, making sure she was still comfortable with him. Catherine's eyes didn't move from his; he could see complete trust and faith in him staring from her blue eyes.

His fingers traced around her face, memorizing her features. Bending down, he pressed another kiss to her lips.

Catherine's arms wound around his neck, deepening the kiss. She moaned slightly, arching against him.

Gil's arms went to her waist, anchoring up close to him, letting her know how much he wanted her.

"Yes…" the word escaped Catherine's lips as Gil lowered her to the bed. "Gil…"

He smiled down at her. "I'm going to take my time with you, Catherine. Remember what I said earlier? We're going to take our time exploring, touching and tasting. We're going to be so exhausted after experiencing everything that we'll collapse together and sleep." His finger trailed down the side of her face. "Okay?"

Catherine nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Catherine's arms went around him as he fell into them. They both gasped for breath, chests heaving.

He moved to the side, smiling softly as Catherine crawled atop him, snuggling close.

"Wow," she whispered.

"I'll second that," Gil murmured, caressing her back. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yes. God, yes." She kissed him. "You made me feel safe, and loved. I wasn't scared."

A broad smile crossed Gil's face and he kissed her deeply. "I'm so glad, Cath. I'm so, so glad."


	13. 13

Part 13 

Gil walked into the bedroom, his eyes watching Catherine finish brushing her hair.

"Hey."

Catherine looked at him in the mirror. "Hi."

He walked up behind her, taking the brush and gently running it through the strawberry blonde locks. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," Catherine whispered.

"We don't have to go, Cath. The DA told you that you don't have to be there until they want you to testify."

"I have to," she murmured. "For me. I need to see them, hear them."

Gil put the brush down and held her to him. "It's going to be okay. I'll be there the entire time, and we can go whenever you want."

Catherine nodded, standing up and hugging him again. "I love you."

Gil closed his eyes, holding her tight. "I love you too."

* * *

"People VS. Dale Graves. Charged with Rape, Assault in the first degree and Attempted Murder. People VS Stanley Graves, Charged with Conspiracy to commit Rape, Assault and Attempted Murder."

Dale and Stan Graves were marched in, wearing suits. Gil felt Catherine stiffen when she saw them. He gently caressed her back in soothing strokes.

"How do you plead?"

"Not guilty your honor," Dale Graves said.

"Not guilty your honor," Stan Graves said.

Catherine's eyes widened. She turned to Gil. "They can't say that! I know what happened! I…"

Gil pressed a finger to her lips. "It's okay, Catherine. We know the truth and the DA will make sure it comes out."

"Bail?" The judge asked, turning to the DA.

"We ask for remand, your honor. This was a vicious, violent crime. CSI Willows could have been killed, and there's nothing to stop these two men from going after her to finish the job."

"Stanley Graves is a police officer, your honor," Stan's lawyer began.

"Which makes his crime even worse," the DA shot back. The DA turned back to the judge. "Dale Graves is a drug dealer. Stanley Graves is a disgraced police officer. The people…"

The judge put up his hand. "Enough. Both suspects are remanded into custody." He banged his gavel. "Court is adjourned."

* * *

"How are you doing?" Gil asked Catherine when they got home.

"I'm okay," she murmured, staring out the window.

"Cath."

She glanced at him. "I'm fine."

Gil wondered if he could try reverse psychology on her. "I'm not. I wanted to kill those two when I saw them."

He felt her hand resting on his knee.

"What's done is done, Gil."

His eyes widened. "Cath…what are you talking about?"

"Whatever happens in that trial, it doesn't matter. It's over. They got what they wanted."

"Catherine, this is not over." Gil made her look at him. "It's not over until those two pay for what they did to you. They had no right. And I won't rest until they're both behind bars."

"I don't want this to turn into some kind of revenge thing, Gil." She looked up at him. "You've done so much for me the past few months, and I don't want to lose you." She sighed. "I can't lose you."

"You won't lose me if…"

"Yes, I will," she said firmly. "I know you, Gil. It'll consume you, and you'll make it your life's personal mission to find out whoever did this."

"I can't let it go, Cath."

"I have. I may be still affected by what they did to me, I may still hate their guts, but I'm not going to make it my personal mission to seek revenge." She took his hand. "And if I could let it go, you can."

"What's made this change?" Gil asked, caressing her cheek.

"You," she murmured. "Last night. That changed everything."

"How?"

"There's more important things to worry about. More important things that I want."

"Am I one of those things?" Gil asked hopefully.

Catherine smiled. "You ARE that thing."

He grinned. "I'm glad to hear that."

She leant in and kissed him gently. "And we can concentrate on other interesting things."

Gil arched an eyebrow. "You know…I'm slowly starting to see more of you come back to me." He bit his lip. He hadn't told her out loud about his observations.

Catherine smiled softly at him. "I'm almost back. Thanks to you."

"You did all the hard work," Gil reminded her.

"I think you did a lot of work too," she whispered, leaning against him.

Gil caressed her back gently. "We've got a long way to go, Cath."

She smiled, taking his hand. "We'll make it."

* * *

"Hi, Ms Willows, Dr. Grissom." The DA, Jennifer Cowen gestured towards the seats in her office. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Catherine smiled uneasily and sat down, relaxing when Gil's hand grasped hers.

"So, I wanted to talk about the trial. What we can expect. I'll keep you up to date constantly."

Catherine nodded, still saying nothing.

"I was looking over your personnel file." Jennifer looked up at her. "I know it sounds like an invasion of privacy, which it is, but I need to know everything I can. Because unfortunately, the lawyers are going to be attacking you too."

Catherine nodded again. "I'm a CSI. We get attacked all the time."

"This is different. They're going to be getting into your personal life as well as your professional life. Your sex life." She glanced at Gil and then back at Catherine. "Are you two in a relationship?"

"Yes," Catherine said. "But I don't see what Gil has to do with any of this."

"He's going to be brought up. As are former lovers. As is your husband. As is your former career." Jennifer looked at her. "They're going to throw as much dirt on you as they can to make it seem like you wanted it."

Catherine saw Gil clench the seat out of the corner of her eye. "Look, all I can say is, that I know what happened that night. They know what happened that night. They can't hurt me anymore than they already have."

Jennifer nodded. "I'm glad you feel like that." She smiled. "Now, you don't have to attend the trial at all, except for your testimony, unless you want to."

"I need to be there," Catherine said. "It's…it's part of the process."

"I understand." Another pause. "I can't promise I'll put them away, but I'll do my damn hardest."

Catherine smiled. "I appreciate it."

* * *

Catherine walked into the bedroom that she now unofficially believed belonged to her and Gil. He was sitting up in bed, looking at a huge pile of papers.

"You're bringing work to bed now?"

"I'm going through cases of rape. Ones in relation to your case, and ones in relation to the Grave's officers."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not."

Catherine reached over, scooped them up and pushed them into her closet. Gil looked up at her, surprised.

"Catherine, what are you doing?"

"This is me not losing you to this case?" Catherine asked, gesturing to the papers.

"This is me trying to put these guys away!" He folded his arms. "And since when do you refer to yourself as a case?"

Catherine ignored the second question. "Gil…what happens out there to do with the trial…" She sighed. "I don't want it in here."

"Why won't you let me help you?"

Her eyes widened. "Gil! You have done nothing but help me since this happened! This is going beyond what I want you to do. I don't want you to get yourself into this!"

"I am in this, Catherine. And I can't let these men get away with what they did to you!"

Catherine sat down on the bed. "Even if that means sacrificing what we have?"

Gil's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, what?"

"How many times do I have to beg, Gil?"

"You want to leave me."

Catherine turned away from him. "No, I don't. That's the problem."

"I don't understand."

"You doing this, is like me reliving that night over and over again. I can't spend my life doing that. I want to move on, with you. And you're going to become obsessed with this. I can't do it, Gil. I just can't."

Gil's hand went to her shoulder. "Catherine, look at me."

She slowly turned around, and Gil inwardly cursed himself as he saw her struggling to fight back tears.

"You want me to stop looking into this?"

Catherine nodded.

Gil got up and went to the wardrobe. He got out the papers and stuffed them in the bathroom trash can, before coming back and sitting beside her. "Stopped." He caressed her cheek. "You're the most important thing to me, Catherine. I won't lose you."

She leant over and kissed him gently. "Thank you."

He put his arm around her, smiling as she leant back against him. "I'd do anything for you, Catherine."

"I know," she whispered. "That's why I'm asking you not to do this."

"I won't," he replied. "I promise."

"I love you."

He smiled, caressing her stomach. "I love you back."

TBC


	14. 14

Part 14 

The defense attorney for Stan Graves got up. "Stanley Graves is a police officer. He can't help who his brother is. By sheer coincidence, Officer Graves worked on the scene with CSI Willows. This is not a conspiracy. If indeed it was a rape, and, as the prosecution would have you believe, an attempted murder and a conspiracy, why is CSI Willows still here? Why didn't Officer Graves rape CSI Willows?" She walked over to the jury. "Because Officer Stanley Graves is not guilty of anything and the evidence will show that."

Dale Graves' defense attorney got up. "The prosecution would have you believe that my client brutally raped and attempted to kill CSI Willows. However, my client didn't even know CSI Willows. In fact, the only dubious connection my client had with CSI Willows, was that his brother sometimes accompanied her to crime scenes. If there was indeed sexual relations, who's to say it wasn't consensual? Given Ms. Willows past, this could just be a cry of rape because she has some vendetta against my client.'

With a dirty look at the defense lawyers, Jennifer Cowen stood up. She adjusted her jacket. "Catherine Willows has been a CSI for a very long time. She's well respected in her field and by her peers. Unbeknownst to her, Stan Graves has been funneling information about her and her movements to his brother Dale." She walked over to the jury. "The evidence will show that Dale Graves and his brother stalked CSI Willows, and then Stan faked a sickness at a crime scene, leaving CSI Willows alone. Dale came in and brutally attacked and raped CSI Willows, leaving her for dead." She pointed to the men. "These two men do not deserve your mercy or pity." She gestured to where Catherine sat with Gil. "That woman over there does. That is CSI Catherine Willows, who endured unspeakable acts at the hands of Dale Graves."

* * *

"How was court?" Lindsey asked, as a tired-looking Catherine came in, escorted by Gil. "Did you kick butt?"

"The prosecutor was very good," Gil assured her. "I'm just going to take your mom upstairs so she can lie down, okay?"

Lindsey looked concerned. "Are you okay?"

Catherine smiled weakly back at her. "I'm fine, sweetheart. It was just a big morning."

Gil sent Lindsey an encouraging smile and he took Catherine upstairs. He eased her onto the bed, sitting down beside her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired. A little…shell-shocked I guess."

Gil caressed her cheek. "Get some rest."

"Stay with me?"

Gil smiled at her. "Just let me talk to Lindsey for a moment and I'll be right back. Okay?"

Catherine nodded and kissed him gently. "Okay."

* * *

Gil returned down to where Lindsey was watching TV. When she saw Gil arrived, she turned it off and looked up at him.

"How is she?"

"She's going to lie down for a while. It was…harrowing, this morning."

"But everything went okay, right?"

"The prosecutor was very good. She made a strong opening argument. The defense attorney's said some…unfair things, but I believe this morning went well."

"Stupid defense attorney's," Lindsey muttered.

Gil smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to go up and stay with your mom, okay?"

Lindsey nodded. "No problem."

* * *

After sharing a hug with Lindsey, Gil went back upstairs and smiled as he saw Catherine was already asleep. He slipped his shoes off and then hopped in beside her. Catherine let out a murmur in her sleep and curled herself around him. He grinned and held her tight.

When Catherine woke up later, she disentangled herself from Gil and went downstairs. She found Lindsey watching TV.

"Hey, sweetheart."

Lindsey looked up and grinned when she saw her mother. "Hi, mom! How are you?"

Catherine sat down beside her daughter. "Feeling a lot better now. I think it must be seeing you."

Lindsey rolled her eyes and snuggled against her mother. "Where's Uncle Gil?"

"I thought I'd let him sleep. He's been running himself ragged the past few days."

"The past few months more like it," Lindsey replied.

Catherine nodded. "True."

"I'm so glad you're getting better, mom," Lindsey said, hugging her.

"Me too, Linds, me too," Catherine murmured, hugging her back.

* * *

Jennifer stood up. "The defense calls Dr Leah Grey."

The doctor who had treated Catherine after her attack stepped up to the witness stand and was sworn in.

"Dr Grey, you treated CSI Catherine Willows when she was brought in, correct?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes, I did."

"You remember her injuries?"

"Yes."

"Could you tell the court the injuries that CSI Willows suffered?"

"Ms. Willows was raped. She had serious bruises on her body and on the inside of her thighs. She had a cut to the forehead and other cuts and abrasions were over her body. She had a handprint on her right breast, and she was bleeding from her forehead."

Jennifer put a photo of Catherine's face after the attack on an easel. Catherine turned away, burying her face in Gil's shirt.

"This is the injury?"

Dr Grey nodded. "Yes. It was caused by a sharp object, probably a knife."

"What about this mark here?" Jennifer asked, pointing to a red mark on the side of Catherine's forehead.

"We see this commonly in rape or hostage victims. It's caused by a gun being held against the skin."

"Can you tell us anymore about the injuries?"

"It was a particularly brutal attack. The rape injuries were serious. It took Ms. Willows two months to heal completely."

"Thank you, Dr Grey."

The defense for Dale Graves stood up. "Dr Grey, is it possible that Ms Willows' injuries could have been the result of rough sex?"

Dr Grey blinked. "It's highly unlikely. The injuries are consistent with rape. It's the same injuries that are shown in the clock face diagram." She pointed to a diagram that Jennifer had put up. "Ms Willows injuries are the typical injuries of rape." She folded her hands on her lap. "Also, I have yet to meet a couple that had rough sex using a gun."

Jennifer smirked.

Dale Graves' lawyer frowned. "No further questions."

* * *

Gil glanced at Catherine, caressing her back. "How are you doing?"

She looked up at him, smiling. "I'm okay. A little…overwhelmed, but okay."

Gil took her in his arms as they sat on the bench outside the courthouse. "Seeing those pictures, listening to that testimony. That was hard for me. Must have been harder for you."

"It certainly wasn't pleasant."

Gil kissed the top of her head. "You've come through it so well, Catherine."

She smiled, nestling against him. "Mmm. You're a big help."

Gil grinned. "I do what I can."

"I'm nervous. About giving my testimony."

"About telling people what happened?"

"About reliving it. Again."

"Just tell the truth, Catherine. The facts. It's the only thing to do."

Catherine turned around in his arms. "You know they're going to attack me. About dancing, about Eddie."

"Can I kill them?"

Catherine smiled, rubbing his arm. "You're sweet."

"Can I please kill them?"

She kissed him gently. "No. I like having you around too much. But you can take care of me, and be with me."

Gil hugged her close to him again. "You can bet I'll be doing that."

* * *

Sara stared at the courtroom, looking at the prosecutor.

"Ms. Sidle, you were one of the CSI's assigned to Ms. Willows' case, correct?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me what evidence that you personally worked?"

"I found fibres at the crime scene. They were consistent with Ms. Willows' clothes. I also found blood at the scene. It was consistent with Ms. Willows'DNA."

"Did you find anything that linked Dale Graves, or Stan Graves to the scene with your evidence?"

"When we took Dale Graves' clothes into evidence, we found a smear of blood on his jacket. It was consistent with Ms. Willows' DNA."

Dale Graves' lawyer stood up. "Is it possible that Ms. Willows' blood got on my client's clothes if he had stopped to help her?"

Sara's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me."

The lawyer looked at the judge. "Your honor…"

Judge Markham sighed. "Please answer the question, Ms. Sidle."

"It's possible," Sara replied. "But I really doubt it."

"Ms. Sidle, were you aware that Ms. Willows and Dr. Grissom were in a romantic relationship?"

"Yes."

"Weren't you in fact a rival for Dr. Grissom's affections?"

Sara looked over to where Gil was holding Catherine to him. "No, I don't believe I was."

The lawyer's eyes hardened. "Ms Sidle, didn't you have romantic feelings for Dr. Grissom?"

"I did. But his affections lie somewhere else."

"And yet you still helped Ms. Willows."

Sara frowned at the man. "Your client raped and almost killed Catherine Willows. The only feelings that come into this situation are disgust and hatred for Dale Graves."

As Dale Graves' lawyer sat down, Stan Graves' lawyer stood up.

"Ms. Sidle, have you ever been to a crime scene where the attending officer has been ill?"

"Yes."

"Did said officer leave the scene?"

"Yes."

"No further questions."

Jennifer stood up. "Redirect your honor?"

Judge Markham nodded.

"Ms. Sidle, in this situation that Mr Riley was describing, was an officer still present with you?"

Sara nodded. "Yes. CSI's are not to be left alone at a crime scene. There should be an officer with them at all times."

"Thank you."

"Witness may step down."


	15. 15

Part 15 

Warrick adjusted his tie.

"You look great, War," Catherine said, walking over to him.

He looked down at her. "Thanks. How are you doing?"

"Not bad. Just a little overwhelmed." She gestured to where Gil was talking with Jennifer. "He's a little protective."

"Do you blame him?"

Catherine's eyes softened. "No. But I am keeping a close eye on him." She sighed. "I love him, Warrick, and he's taking this hard."

"He loves you, Catherine. That's why he's taking it so hard."

Gil came over then, his hand immediately seeking Catherine's. "Hi Warrick."

"Hey, Griss. I'm all ready to go."

"I know you'll do fine, Warrick. It's all in the evidence."

Warrick nodded. He placed a hand on Catherine's shoulder and then headed off to see Jennifer.

"Everything okay?" Gil asked, not having missed the looks and intense conversation that had occurred between the two.

Catherine turned in his arms, looking up at him. "Gil…are you jealous?"

"Of course not," Gil protested. He paused. "Maybe a little."

She looked up at him, eyes soft and loving. "You have nothing to be jealous about, Gil. I love you more than anything in the world." Her hand rested on his chest. "I was just telling Warrick that I was worried about you."

"What have you got to be worried about?" Gil asked her. "I'm fine."

"Because sometimes I wonder if this is harder for you than it is for me."

Gil's arms went around her. "I won't deny that this is really hard for me. But I know that it can't be even a fraction of how hard it is for you." He hugged her tight. "But we will get through this, Cath. I promise."

* * *

Warrick stared back at Jennifer Cowen, ready for his questioning to begin.

"Mr. Brown, you were the lead CSI on this case, correct?"

"Yes."

"What other CSI's worked with you on this case?"

"Sara Sidle, Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes. We also had various lab technicians helping us."

"What area of evidence were you looking at, Mr Brown?"

"I helped work the scene of the crime. We recovered some shoe treads in the area. I also did some work regarding Stan Graves."

"Could you please tell the court about the shoe treads?"

"There were several in the particular area of the attack. We were able to identify treads from Ms. Willows' shoes, from Officer Graves' shoes, and from Dale Graves' shoes."

"Could you tell the court how you were able to work this out?"

"We first looked at the size of the shoe. Each shoe had a specific tread, so we were able to work out the make of the shoe. Because of natural wear and tear, there were also distinct markings. During the search of Mr Graves' house, we discovered a pair of shoes that matched exactly to the tread taken from the crime scene."

"Anything else?"

"There was also dirt present on the sole. Technicians from our lab were able to work out with a reasonable amount of certainty to where the dirt came from, due to organisms present in the soil."

"Thank you, Mr Brown."

Stan Graves' lawyer, Michael Jardine, stood up. "Mr. Brown, would Officer Graves' shoe treads be there because he was on the scene with Ms. Willows."

"Yes. But…"

"No further questions."

* * *

"Your turn tomorrow."

"Yep."

Catherine looked over at Gil, watching as he got into their bed. "Nervous?"

"No."

"No?"

Gil looked over at her and smiled. "I just tell the truth, Catherine. We know what happened that night. Not only because of you, but because of what the evidence told us. They're not going to get away with this, Catherine."

Catherine snuggled up to him, resting her hand over his. "You're so optimistic, Gil."

"I believe in the evidence. Most importantly, I believe in you." He kissed the top of her head. "Always have. Always will."

Catherine leant up and kissed his lips gently. "I love you, Gil."

"Love you back." He hugged her tight. "Get some rest, Catherine. And don't worry about tomorrow. Everything is going to be fine."

* * *

Catherine padded towards the front door. She was almost ready to leave for court, but the doorbell had rung.

She opened the door and her eyes widened as she saw Sam Braun on the other side.

"Sam?"

"Catherine."

"What are you doing here?"

Sam looked slightly hurt at first, but said nothing to indicate it. "I had to come and see you, Catherine. I know what happened to you was a few months ago…but I didn't think you'd want to see me straight away."

"Cath, who's at the…" Gil appeared behind Catherine, his eyes darkening when he saw Sam Braun.

"Sam, you remember, Gil Grissom?" Catherine murmurs, still in shock that Sam has come to see her.

"Nice to see you again, Grissom," Sam said. He'd already had Gil checked out, and trusted him. To a certain extent.

"Sam," Gil nodded.

"Would you…like to come in?" Catherine asked, shocking herself.

Sam nodded and Catherine opened the door a little wider. He went inside, following them as they took him into the lounge room.

The silence was awkward at first. Gil sat next to Catherine, holding her hand. Catherine was as close to him as she could get without being in his lap. Sam sat on the opposite chair, looking at them both.

"I'll cut to the chase," he said. "I haven't been a good father. I haven't even been an okay father. But I will not sit by while my daughter is attacked and almost killed by two maniacs." His eyes met Catherine's. "I know it's against the way you work, but I can have them disappear on a second's notice."

Catherine's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"I can't let these men get away with what they did to you."

Gil stood up. "Cath, how about you finish getting ready? I just want to talk to Sam for a moment."

Sam and Catherine both looked surprised, but Catherine nodded, heading upstairs. Gil sat down, opposite Sam.

"Let's get the first thing clear," Gil said. "I don't trust you. I'm not sure that I ever will. But you're Catherine's father. And I love Catherine."

"I can see that," Sam said quietly.

"Then don't suggest you're going to murder two people for her. Catherine had enough trouble having to watch a man receive the lethal injection. Do you really want to have her living with the thought that her father illegally murdered two men because of her?"

Sam Braun paused. "Then what do you suggest I do? I don't think you understand, Grissom. I have one son in the ground, one in jail. Catherine is all I have left."

"Do you understand, Sam? You've used her as a means to an end. You have to start treating her as a daughter."

"You seem to make her happy."

"I do whatever I can to do that."

Sam nodded. "I gave her money."

"Money isn't everything."

"Then what would you suggest, Grissom?"

"Be there for her when she needs support."

"Isn't that your job?"

"You can never have too much of a support team," Gil replied.

"Gil?" Catherine appeared in the doorway. "I'm ready."

Gil stood up, smiling at her. "You look beautiful."

Catherine took the hand Gil had offered her.

"I'm going to go," Sam said. "Catherine, anything you need, or want, all you have to do is call."

"Thank you, Sam," Catherine replied, following him out to the door.

Gil was right beside her, his hand resting on her hip.

After he had left, Catherine turned back to Gil. "He came to see me."

"I would expect no less," Gil replied, caressing her cheek. "Ready to go?"

Catherine nodded. "I'm ready."

* * *

"Dr Grissom, could you tell us your involvement in this case?"

"I received a phone call from my colleague, Warrick Brown. He told me that Ms. Willows was in hospital and she had been attacked. She wasn't letting anyone near her, and was asking for me."

"So you went to the hospital."

Gil nodded. "Yes. Ms. Willows let me into her room and allowed me to take evidence from her."

"What sort of evidence did you take?"

"I did a standard rape kit. I took scrapings, photos and any other evidence. We also took Ms. Willows' clothes."

"Then what happened?"

"Ms. Willows wanted me to stay with her. I gave the evidence to Warrick Brown, as noted in the chain of evidence."

"Dr Grissom, after collecting this evidence, what else were you involved in with this case?"

"I took Ms. Willows' statement."

"Was there a particular reason for this?"

"Everyone working on the case, including Detective Brass, felt that Ms Willows would be more comfortable if I took her statement."

"So Dr Grissom, you believe you conducted a thorough investigation?"

"Yes."

"No further questions, your honour."

Jennifer Cowen sat down. Dale Graves' lawyer stood up, a small smile on his face.

"Dr Grissom, were you having sexual relations with Ms Willows at the time of the attack?"

Gil stared blankly at the lawyer. "Considering your client was raping Ms Willows at the time and I was across town, I'd say that questions is a little ridiculous, wouldn't you?"

"Your honour, the witness is being hostile."

"Rephrase the question," the judge directed Dale's lawyer.

"Dr Grissom, at this time were you, or had you been, having sexual relations with Ms. Willows?"

"Objection!" Jennifer cried, jumping up. "Ms. Willows previous sexual activities cannot come into discussion here!"

"I was talking about Dr. Grissom's sexual activities."

"And yet I am unmoved," the judge replied. "Move on."

Dale's lawyer frowned. "Dr. Grissom, how long have you known Ms. Willows?"

"Twenty years."

"And what is your relationship with Ms. Willows?"

Gil paused. "When?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"When do you mean?"

"When Ms. Willows was allegedly attacked."

"We were coworkers. Friends."

"Falsifying evidence sort of friends?"

"No."

"So if Ms. Willows was in any trouble you wouldn't lie for her?"

"Ms Willows isn't in trouble."

"That's not an answer, Dr Grissom."

"I can't answer that question. Not out of context."

Catherine's eyes locked onto Gil's. He smiled reassuringly at her.

"Dr. Grissom, what evidence did you collect from Ms. Willows at the scene of the crime?"

"I collected Ms. Willows' clothes and I also did a rape exam."

"Did you find any evidence of fluids during the rape exam?"

Gil narrowed his eyes. "As the report states, your client wore a condom." His eyes fastened on Dale Graves. "The only thing about that man I'll ever be thankful for."

"Your honor?"

The judge bit her lip. "Please stick to the answers, Dr. Grissom."

"Yes, your honor," Gil said sweetly.


	16. 16

Part 16 

"I didn't think I'd be comfortable with a reply like that, but I was."

Gil looked over at Catherine. "Which reply?"

"Would you lie for me if I was in trouble."

"Were you uncomfortable with my answer?"

"No," Catherine assured him. "I thought I would be, but I wasn't." She took his free hand. "I love you. And I love what you just did for me."

"What I just did for you?"

"Testifying," Catherine replied, closing her eyes in comfort as Gil's hand cupped her cheek.

"I'd do anything for you," Gil whispered, his hand caressing her face.

Catherine smiled, her hand resting against him. "Same goes, bugman."

Gil leaned over, kissing her gently. Catherine returned the kiss, her hands sliding up his chest and around his neck. Gil's hands went to her waist, helping her move so that she sat in his lap.

The kiss deepened, and Gil's hold on her tightened.

Catherine rolled them so that she lay beneath him, and her arms tugged him down for another kiss.

"Closer," she whispered. "I want you closer."

Gil nodded and kissed her again, his hands sliding up under her shirt to gently caress her skin.

Her hands moved to the buttons of his shirt, starting to undo them one by one. Each piece of skin she revealed, her hands gently caressed at it, followed by her lips, as she marked him as hers.

Gil closed his eyes, his hands caressed her skin for a moment as he relished Catherine's touch. When he felt her hands pushing the shirt away from his shoulders, he opened his eyes to find her smiling at him.

"You're handsome," she murmured, her fingers trailing across his face. "I like that you have long eyelashes." Catherine traced them with her fingers, smiling as he closed his eyes to make it easier for her. "You're very sexy."

"I'm glad you think so," he replied, taking her hand and kissing the palm.

Catherine's eyes slipped closed. Her entire body shivered as he started kissing each finger, one by one.

"You don't mind if I just melt into a puddle here, do you?" she managed to get out.

Gil grinned, kissing his way up her arm. "Sure I do. It's pretty hard to make love with a puddle."

"Speaking of hard…" Catherine whispered, her free hand sliding between them and cupping his erection.

"Cath…."

"Mhm?" she asked innocently.

Gil slowly started to realize something. This was Catherine. His Catherine. Catherine before the attack.

Catherine noticed his look. "What is it?"

"You're back."

A smile began to spread across her face. She lay flat on the bed, her eyes staring up at him. "Make love with me."

Gil leant down, kissing her deeply as his hands pushed her shirt away. Her hands slid up his bare chest, caressing and stroking the warm skin.

"You feel so good," he whispered in her ear. "You're beautiful." Gil's fingers went to her face, memorizing her features. "So perfect. So…"

"Yours," Catherine finished, leaning up to kiss him. "Yours."

Gil kissed her again, a whole different kind of happiness flowing through him as he realized she was back. He kissed her again, his hands gently unclasping her bra and pushing it away from her body.

* * *

Gil gathered her into his arms, smiling as she snuggled closer.

"Love you," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.

He kissed her gently. "Love you too," he whispered back.

They were silent for a moment, trying to get their breath back. Finally, Catherine spoke.

"Gil?"

"Mhm?"

"I'm scared."

His eyes wide, he looked down at her. Caressing her face with his hand, he asked, "what of?"

"Tomorrow." Catherine burrowed further into his body. "It's not going to be like it was with you. The testimony."

Gil smiled, caressing her back. "I wish it was. I wish that you didn't have to do any of this, and that nothing had happened in the first place."

"But it did."

"And you'll get through this, Cath." He kissed her forehead. "I was so proud of you when you told me what happened. The way you gave your statement." He hugged her. "I'll be right there in that room with you, Catherine. I promise I won't leave you."

"I know you won't," she whispered, kissing his chest. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Catherine. You know that."

He bent down and they shared a gentle kiss.

"Get some rest, sweetheart. Tomorrow's going to be a big day."


	17. 17

Part 17 

"Ms Willows," Jennifer said, getting up, "could you tell us about the events leading up to the attack?"

Catherine leant forward to speak into the microphone. "I drove to the crime scene, where I met Officer Graves. He was the officer escorting me at the scene."

"Then what happened?"

"Officer Graves pointed me in the direction of the scene. He showed me towards a tree and I looked down to see what he was talking about."

"There was nothing there?"

"No."

"What happened when you looked down?"

"Something hit me on the back of the head. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, on my back. Dale Graves was holding a gun to my head, my gun. He told me not to scream or I'd regret it. "

"Where was Officer Graves?"

"He was over by the fence. He just stood there, watching."

"What was he watching, Ms Willows?"

"His brother…was tying my wrists together."

"His brother…"

"Dale Graves."

"Tell us what happened next, Ms Willows."

"I tried to get away, but he was hitting me, telling me that he knew I wanted it and I had to stay still. Then he made me get up again. He pushed me against the tree and he put his knee between my legs." Catherine took a deep breath, her eyes locking onto Gil's.

Gil smiled back at her, encouraging her in his eyes.

"Then what happened?"

"He started grabbing at my breasts through my shirt. He pulled it off and tried to undo my bra. He couldn't get it off, so he pulled it down my middle and started grabbing hitting me. He tried to kiss me and I turned my head at the last minute. He hit me across the breasts with the gun and then held it to my head, telling me to cooperate."

Catherine's eyes widened slightly as she saw Sam Braun and a couple of his minders enter the room, sitting quietly in the back. She blinked for a moment and then returned her focus to Gil. He was her rock.

"What happened next, Ms Willows?"

"He kissed me again and was pinching and squeezing my breasts. I told him to stop and that it hurt, but he wasn't listening. He put his knee between my legs and starting pushing. He pulled one of my hands under his and made me undo his pants." She took a deep breath, realizing she was on the home stretch. "He pushed me to the ground, and pulled my pants down. He cut my underwear with a knife." Catherine's voice was starting to waver a little. "He made me put a condom on him and then…then he pushed inside me. When he finished he…he pulled out and left."

"Where was Officer Graves during this time?"

"He was there. Just watching."

After Jennifer had finished, Stan's lawyer stood up. "Ms Willows, at any time did Officer Graves touch you inappropriately?"

"No," Catherine replied.

"Did he ever egg his brother on? Encourage him?"

"No."

"No further questions."

Dale's lawyer stood up. "Ms Willows, have you noted the inaccuracies in your original statement, and your testimony here?"

Catherine looked confused. "No."

"In your statement, you were already on the ground looking for evidence. But today, you told the court that you looked down."

Catherine arched an eyebrow. "That's being on the ground, looking down."

"Of course it is. Why did Dale Graves bind your wrists with duct tape BEFORE he took off your shirt?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask him." Catherine felt like she was rapidly losing control.

Then her eyes locked onto Dale's.

He was smirking, looking amused by the situation. He had enjoyed it. What had happened then, he had enjoyed it.

And Catherine started to feel sick.

"Ms. Willows, Mr Graves used a condom, correct?"

Catherine nodded. "Yes."

"Do you like rough sex, Ms Willows?"

"OBJECTION!" Jennifer cried, jumping up.

Catherine started to close her eyes, trying to drown everything out. But all she could see was him, pushing into her, hurting her, being inside her.

"STOP!" she cried out.

The courtroom was silent.

"He pushed inside me, he ripped inside me and hurt. It hurt so much I couldn't breathe. It made me sick. I wanted to be sick. Everything hurt. I was in so much pain and he was pushing harder and harder! He raped me!"

And then Catherine Willows burst into tears.

* * *

Gil had never felt the phrase "one step forward, two steps back" more acutely than he did at that very moment. He held Catherine in his arms, felt her body trembling.

"Shh, sweetheart. He's not here. He can't hurt you."

"It still hurts."

"I know it does. I know it does."

"I want to go home."

Gil kissed the top of her head. "I'll talk to Jennifer, I promise. It's going to be okay."

Catherine's arms wrapped around him, trying to get closer to him. "Make it all go away."

Gil's heart broke at her words, wishing he COULD take it all away from her. He looked up as Jennifer walked in. Catherine didn't even move.

"Judge Kincaid adjourned for the day. She's scheduled the next day for Friday. That gives you two days." Jennifer glanced at Catherine. "Neither side wants to ask Catherine anymore questions."

Gil nodded. "So I can take her home now?"

"Absolutely. Call me if you don't want to come in Friday."

Gil smiled slightly. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

After Jennifer left the two of them alone, Gil whispered in Catherine's ear. "Want me to take you home now, sweetheart?"

"Please," she whispered back.

* * *

Lindsey watched as Gil came back downstairs after he had tucked Catherine into bed. "Today was bad, wasn't it?"

Gil rubbed his hand over his face and sat down beside her. "It was hard for her, Linds. Having to relive it all, with all those people in there. It was a lot different from when she gave me her statement."

"It was harder."

Gil nodded. "A lot harder. And not pleasant. And towards the end of her testimony, when the opposing counsel was talking to her, she looked at Dale Graves. That didn't help."

Lindsey balled her hands into fists. "I wish I could kick his ass!"

Gil smiled tiredly at her. "Me too, Lindsey. But it wouldn't help your mom, any."

"Yeah. That sucks."

Gil agreed. "It does suck."

"What can we do to help her?"

"Just take care of her, Linds. Your mom is going to get through this."

Lindsey looked up at him. "Promise?"

"I promise."

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Part 18 

Gil carefully stripped down to his boxers, and slid into bed beside Catherine. He spooned himself against her so that he was holding her gently around the waist.

"You came back," she whispered.

Gil pressed a gentle kiss to her neck. "I promised I would. And I've never made a promise to you that I couldn't keep."

"Today was bad."

"We've had worse. And we've dealt with worse."

"I love you."

Gil smiled. "I know, baby. I love you too."

Catherine turned around in his arms, facing him. Her fingers traced his face, smiling as she thought of how she would love him for the rest of her life.

"What is it?" Gil whispered, watching her touch him.

"I feel safer, here with you, than I did in that courtroom today."

Gil smiled back at her, his hand caressing her cheek. "That's what I aim to do every day, sweetheart. It makes me happier when I know you feel safe with me."

"I always am."

"I wouldn't have let him hurt you in there, you know that, right?" Gil cupped her face. "He would never have gotten the chance."

Catherine nodded. "I know." She shifted closer, feeling more comfortable when his hand slipped around her waist, holding her tight against him. "Sam was there."

"Did that bother you?"

"I thought it would. But it didn't. It was kind of…nice to think that he cared enough to come."

Gil gently caressed her hip. "A lot of people care about you, Catherine."

Her fingers trailed down his chest. "I know."

"Can I kiss you?" he asked, not wanting to push her. He wanted to touch her, make sure she was real, assure her that he would always be there for her.

She smiled and nodded, her eyes locking onto his until the last moment, when his lips gently brushed against hers.

Her arms wound around his neck, fingers stroking the nape of his neck as the kiss continued.

When the kiss ended, her arms stayed around his neck, and his hands went around her waist. The moved closer, until her head rested on Gil's chest.

"Sleep, sweetheart," he whispered. "I'll take care of you."

* * *

Lindsey puttered around in the kitchen the next morning, cleaning and making breakfast. There was no sign of life from her mother's room, and she wanted her mother to get as much rest as possible.

"Morning, Lindsey," Gil said, coming into the kitchen. His eyes widened when he saw the spotless room and the breakfast table set. "Lindsey?"

She turned around, smiling at him. "Morning, Uncle Gil. I made breakfast. I wanted to help out."

Gil immediately put his arms around the girl, hugging her tight to him. "Thank you."

"Can't…breathe…Uncle…Gil…"

Gil sheepishly let her go. "Sorry, sweetheart. It's just…what you've done to help me and your mom has been so amazing."

"All I did was make breakfast."

"No. You've been so helpful and supportive to your mother and I, and I know this whole situation must have been very hard on you."

"I just wish it had never happened. Mom doesn't deserve that to happen to her."

"You're right, she doesn't. And I wish it had never happened too. But the lucky thing is, that your mom is starting to get better. And although we had a setback yesterday, she's going to get through this."

Lindsey nodded. "Okay."

"Hi, you two," Catherine murmured, coming into the kitchen. "Wow. The kitchen looks great."

"Lindsey did it all," Gil told her. "And made breakfast."

Catherine walked over to her daughter and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Linds. You have no idea how much this means. I love you."

Lindsey smiled as she hugged her mother back. "It's okay, mom. I want to help. And I love you too."

* * *

Gil walked into the bathroom where Catherine was taking a shower. He closed the door behind him so he kept the heat in.

Catherine poked her head around the shower door. "You want in?"

He tilted his head to the side. "You okay with that?"

She nodded and went back into the shower.

Gil got undressed and slipped in behind her, taking the cloth and soap from her hands. "Let me," he whispered.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"How are you doing today?" Gil asked, lathering up the cloth.

"I'm fine."

"Yesterday was rough."

"I snapped. The lawyers were arguing and…" Catherine's eyes closed as Gil gently soaped up her back, the cloth gliding over her skin. "That feels good…"

"Anyone in your position would have snapped, Catherine. Rinse time."

Catherine held her eyes shut as Gil moved her under the flowing water, rinsing off the suds.

"I had to. He just…he got me so angry," Catherine said, when she came out of the water and opened her eyes again.

"Anyone in that situation would have been angry, Cath." He looked at her. "You're not to be upset about what happened in that room. I was proud of you."

Her eyes widened. "You're proud of me?"

He cupped her face. "Catherine, I've always been proud of you. I've always admired you. You're my hero."

"I…" Catherine stopped talking and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I love you. God, I love you."

Lindsey rapped on the bathroom door. "If you use up all the hot water again, I won't be responsible for my actions!"

* * *

Alone in the bedroom while Gil took Lindsey to school, Catherine stood naked in front of her mirror. Starting from the face down, she took stock of herself. ATR, she called it. After the Rape.

All physical marks on her face had healed. But if she looked close enough, she could see where he had hit her and where he had pressed the gun against her face. Sometimes she swore she could even feel his lips pressing on hers, bruising and making her feel nauseous.

Her neck had also healed, and any signs that Dale Graves had tried and succeeded in giving her several unpleasant hickeys supposedly healing with it. Catherine had learnt that just because the physical signs weren't there, it didn't mean she couldn't feel them.

Her eyes moved to her breasts. Sometimes, in the dark, when Gil's arms were around her, and absently moved to rest on one, she could almost believe that nothing had ever happened. That Dale Graves' hands had never been on them causing incredible pain.

Her hands rested on her stomach, where he had punched and hit her. She bit her lip, eyes going lower as she thought of how that first push he had made inside her had hurt.

"I'm home!" came Gil's voice.

She heard him come up the stairs, but didn't move. Her eyes never left the sight of her body in the mirror. The body she had allowed get raped. The body she had allowed to be brutalized.

It was her body. And she had been powerless to protect it.

Gil stood silently in the doorway, his eyes watching her. Part of him wished he knew what was going on in her mind…but the other part of him already knew. This was critical Catherine. The side of Catherine he knew was often kept in check, but had been unleashed in full force since the attack.

He could see her body, and to him, it was the most beautiful thing in the world. He had once joked, late at night, in the darkness when they were curled up together, that her body was the "eighth wonder of the world'. She had giggled, fingers tickling his chest as she told him that he wasn't too bad himself.

There was no giggling Catherine now.

Catherine knew he was watching her. She knew that no matter how many times he heard what had happened, that he couldn't see it. Couldn't see the filth, the despair and the pain that lurked beneath her skin. The bruises that only she could see now.

A tear slipped down her face, wanting to just go back. Back to when things were easier and she could look at herself and say, "not bad for forty-two, Catherine".

Now she just looked at herself and said, "what did you do?"

Gil had planned to give her time. Let her run through things in her head. There were many things in the world that Gil couldn't stand. Child molesters, men who hit their wives.

But the one that that hurt him, that shook him deep to the core, was tears upon Catherine Willows' face.

He strode over to her, his arms gently going around her waist.

"I wish I could read your mind," he whispered. "Then I might know what to say."

"There's nothing to say," Catherine replied, her eyes falling to the floor. "He's there. On every part of my body he's there. No one else can see it except me. But that's a good thing. I don't want anyone else to see it. Then they'll know."

"Know what?" he murmured.

"This woman allowed herself to be raped and brutalized. In her past life, she was a stripper and a coke junkie, so she's a whore who was asking for it."

"Catherine…" He turned her to face him. "Don't ever call yourself that again. It's not true. I never want to hear that word leaving your lips in reference to yourself. It's not true."

"Gil…"

"Promise me, Catherine. Promise me."

Her eyes looked up at him. "Help me."


	19. Chapter 19

Part 19 

Gil Grissom lay in bed, with the most beautiful woman he had ever known curled up around him. The irony of it was, that this beautiful woman, the eighth wonder of the world, _his_ Catherine…didn't think so.

He had managed, with great difficulty (and bribery), to get her to take one of the sedatives the doctor had prescribed after the attack. He had explained to her that the most important thing she needed was rest.

Which explained why she had slept all night, and he had lain awake, staring at the ceiling.

He knew he shouldn't, but he kept asking himself why he hadn't been there, why he had let her go to the scene herself, why had he just cooped her up and kept her with him until the end of time.

Because he was an idiot, that's why.

He was a grown man. There was no reason why he couldn't have said, "Catherine, I'm in love with you. Marry me and spend the rest of your life with me."

Except he was too scared.

The strawberry blonde in his arms stirred. "Gil?" came the sleepy mumble.

"I'm right here, baby," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

There was more stirring, and then blue met blue as her eyes looked up at him.

"You been awake long?"

"No," he lied. He smiled at her, caressing her cheek. "Did you sleep right through?"

Catherine nodded. "But I feel really dopey from the sedative."

"That's alright, darling. We're not doing too much today."

"Court?"

"Defense arguments. We don't need to be there."

Catherine moved away. "Yes, I should."

"Catherine Willows."

She turned around, her eyes wide at his use of her full name and the tone of his voice. "What?"

"We're not going."

"Gil…"

"Do you still want me to help you?"

Her eyes softened and she watched him. "Yes."

"This is part of me helping you. We're not going."

* * *

Stanley Graves sat on the stand, looking a little uncomfortable. His lawyer stood up, watching Stan for a moment, before starting.

"Officer Graves, were you present on the day that CSI Catherine Willows was attacked?"

"Yes ma'am," Stan replied, his voice stammering.

"Your supervisor sent you to the scene with her?"

"Yes."

"Did you know your brother was going to be there?"

"No," Stan replied.

"When he arrived, what happened?"

"He came out of nowhere. He hit CSI Willows and she was on the ground."

"What did you do?"

Stan sighed. "I'm not proud of not helping Ms. Willows. But I was scared. Dale's my brother. The bigger and stronger one. That's the way it's always been. I wanted to help Ms. Willows, but I couldn't."

"Officer Graves, how was your relationship with your brother growing up?"

"Your honor," Jennifer said, standing up. "This is turning into blaming the brother for childhood trauma."

"And yet we use it in murder trials," Judge Kincaid said. "Continue."

"Do you need me to repeat the question?"

Stan shook his head. "No thank you. My brother was bigger than me. I was what my father called the runt of the family. So yes, my brother and I had a difficult relationship."

"So when you saw what he was doing, and how he had a gun, you were afraid of him?"

"Yes. I was scared of what he could do."

"No further questions."

Jennifer stood up. "You're a police officer, correct?"

"Yes."

"You have a radio?"

"Yes."

"And a gun."

"Yes."

"Being a police officer, you must come up against some horrible things."

"Yes."

"Have you attended a rape scene before?"

Stan sighed. "Yes."

"Have you ever been called to a scene where someone is afraid they are about to be raped?"

"Yes."

"Did you watch?"

"Objection!" cried Stan's lawyer.

"Withdrawn," Jennifer said, stepping back. "Officer Graves, why didn't you use your gun to stop your brother?"

"I was afraid he'd shoot Ms. Willows."

Jennifer arched an eyebrow. "What about you? Weren't you afraid he would shoot you?"

Stan looked at his hands. "That too."

"Why didn't you use your radio?"

"Pardon?"

"Your radio. Why didn't you use it to call for help?"

"If I had tried to, he could have killed us in the time it took me to touch my radio."

"Officer Graves, if it hadn't been your brother raping Ms Willows, would you have stopped the man?"

"I would have tried."

Jennifer folded her arms. "No further questions."

* * *

"You did WHAT?"

Gil sighed, rubbing his face. "I was scared, Catherine. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to help you. I couldn't bear to see you in so much pain. And I didn't want to do something that could make it worse."

"So you went to a shrink in my place?"

"No, I went for me. I needed help, Catherine." He looked up at her. "You know I'm no good with human interaction. I was afraid that if I tried to help I'd hurt you even more. I was scared that maybe I couldn't help. That I couldn't take the pain away. I love you so much, Catherine, and it kills me to see you in so much pain."

Catherine fidgeted with her fingers, before looking at him. "Did it help?"

"What do you mean?"

"Talking to Philip. Did it help?"

Gil sat down beside her, taking her hand in his. "Yes. You want to know what he told me?"

Catherine arched an eyebrow. "Isn't that confidential or something?"

He smiled at her, caressing the top of her hand with the pad of his thumb. "Sure. But I'd like to tell you, if it's alright with you."

They leant back against the headboard together, Gil taking Catherine in his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he took her hand in his.

"The first time I went to see him was the day after you first asked me to hold you while you slept. I'd lost my Catherine and I didn't know how to get her back. He told me that he thought you saw me as your confidante, your therapist."

Catherine snuggled closer. "You've always been both, Gil. I've always been grateful for that."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know." Gil continued with the story. "He was the one that suggested we have Lindsey back in the house. I said I'd tell Lindsey what happened because I didn't want you to have to relive it again. Philip said that you needed to feel as comfortable, secure and loved as possible. And because you trusted me, my presence was healing you."

"Still is."

Gil smiled, caressing her back. "Next time was after we went to the movies together for the first time. He guessed that we had started a relationship. I said we were going slowly, because I didn't want to scare you. I told him that when I first saw you at the hospital, I was scared. And that the more I knew what happened, the more I felt pain for what you had gone through, and fear for the fact I'd almost lost you." He took a deep breath. "I was so proud that I told him that you'd say you saw me, not him. I didn't go into details and I changed the subject. I said I was afraid the trial would set you back, because when you and I discussed it, you were upset. He asked if you'd improved since the attack." Gil's fingers interlaced with hers. "I told him about how we went to the movies, and for ice-cream. I told him how proud I was of you. And I said I was just starting to get you back and I didn't want to lose you with the trial."

"You almost did."

"But I haven't. And I won't. Philip asked me if I loved you. I said yes. He explained there were three reasons you'd gotten as far as you had. One was Lindsey. The second one was that you were a strong woman. The third was…"

"You," Catherine finished. She looked up at his surprised face. "Gil…I've always known you were one of the things that got me through this. I love you. And I'll always be grateful to you."

Gil took her hand, kissing it. "Your love is thanks enough."

* * *

"Mr Graves, how do you know Ms Willows?"

Dale leant forward to the microphone. "I've seen her around."

"Can you tell me about that night?"

"I went to the place. My brother had let me know on the radio where he was. I went there and saw Stan and her over by a tree."

"Together?"

"Nope. Stan was by the fence and she was on her hands and knees on the ground."

"What happened then?"

"I went over and started the game."

"Game?"

"She was into it. We had sex, and yeah, it was rough, but she was into it. Hell, she even had an orgasm."

"Your honor!" Jennifer cried, jumping up. "Just because the victim had…"

Judge Kincaid put up her hand. "Yes, I know. Move on, please."

Dale's lawyer nodded. "Yes, your honor. Mr. Graves, what happened after you had sex?"

"I said bye and I left."

"Left CSI Willows bound?"

"It wasn't tight. That was part of the game."

"No further questions."

Jennifer Cowen got up, trying to stop herself from strangling Dale herself. "Mr Graves, before the attack, had you and Ms Willows ever exchanged a conversation?"

"Not that I recall."

"So, having never exchanged conversation, Ms Willows just automatically decides to have sex with you?"

Dale shrugged. "What can I say? Tells you about the kind of person she must be."

"Careful, Mr Graves," the judge told him. "Character assassination does not become you."

"Did Ms Willows ever say no while you were raping her?"

"Yeah. But it was all part of the game. And it wasn't rape."

"Just yes or no answers in the future, Mr Graves. Did she try and stop you?"

"Yes."

"Did you bind her hands to stop her from struggling?"

"Yes."

"Did you hit her?"

"I didn't seriously hurt her."

"The question was, did you hit her?"

"Yes."

"And after you hit her, tied her up, raped her…did you leave the scene?"

Dale frowned. "Yes."

Jennifer glared at him. "No further questions."


	20. Chapter 20

Part 20

As always, the NC-17 version of this part can be found at my website or at csiforensics.

Gil glanced over at Catherine, who was nervously flipping through an old magazine and alternately fidgeting with her fingers.

He reached over, taking one of her hands in his. She turned to face him, a nervous smile on her face.

"It's okay, Cath," he murmured.

"You'll come in with me, won't you?"

He nodded. "If you want me to, of course I will."

"I want you to." She turned back, looking at the magazine. Eventually, with a sigh, she placed it on the magazine table. "Why am I so nervous? I've talked with Philip before."

Gil's thumb gently stroked the top of her hand. "Because when we've talked to him before, it's always been about someone else."

Catherine wrinkled her nose. "That's true."

"Catherine? Gil?"

Gil felt Catherine tense and he gently squeezed her hand. "Hi, Philip."

"Come on in," the man smiled, gesturing towards his room.

Guiding Catherine into the room with his hand on the small of her back, Gil gently caressed her skin as they walked.

They sat down in the chairs that Philip offered them, and Catherine returned her small hand to Gil's larger one.

"How are you both today?" Philip asked, sitting down in his chair.

"Doing a bit better than yesterday," Catherine murmured. Her hand was still gripping tightly to Gil's.

"Gil?"

"I think we're both a lot more relaxed today."

"I'm glad to hear it. There's nothing more exhausting that being at a trial day after day."

"We decided not to go today," Catherine said. "It was the day for the Graves' to testify."

"I put my foot down," Gil said, caressing her palm. "I didn't think Catherine needed to be there."

Philip nodded. "That's understandable. I wouldn't want to be there either."

"I'm glad Gil said we weren't going." Catherine looked up at Philip. "And I'm glad he was talking to you."

Philip smiled. "Gil and I had some good conversations. He's been very worried about you."

Catherine glanced at Gil. "I know," she murmured.

He smiled, squeezing her hand.

"Catherine, Gil mentioned on the phone that you told him some things the other night and then you asked him to help you. Do you want to tell me those things?"

Gil glanced at her. "Only if you want to."

Catherine wrestled with her thoughts for a moment. She needed help, and Gil was trying everything he could to help her. So it all came out in a rush.

"I can still see him on me. He's there. I allowed myself to get raped and brutalized and because of what I was, I was asking for it."

It had broken his heart to hear it the first time, but Gil shattered when he heard it again. "That's not true, Catherine. You were not asking for and you didn't allow it."

"I had an orgasm, Gil! What does that say to you?"

"An involuntary reaction! You're a scientist, Catherine. You know that these things happen."

Philip intervened. "Let's stop for a moment. We'll deal with things one at a time." He waited for them both to calm down a little. "Catherine, I gathered that you and Gil have been intimate. Why was that different to what Dale Graves did to you?"

There was no hesitation before her answer. "Because I wanted it more than anything. I love him."

Gil's hand squeezed hers again.

"Okay, so when Gil touches you, it's what you want. When Dale touched you, you didn't want it."

Catherine nodded.

"That's the difference between rape and love, Catherine. It's a big difference. And Dale Graves knew you didn't want it, so that makes it rape."

Catherine said nothing. Gil watched her carefully. Philip looked at them both.

It was going to be a long session.

* * *

It had been a quiet trip home and an even quieter lunch. Catherine had excused herself afterwards, saying she was going to have a bath.

Gil cleaned up, and walked upstairs. He peeked around the door.

"You can come in if you want to."

Gil accepted the offer, going in and sitting beside the bath.

"Do you remember the first time we were in here?" Catherine asked. "And when you came in here that night, and touched me?"

"Of course I do," Gil replied.

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I wanted to. I wanted to touch you, and I wanted to watch you orgasm. And because I knew you trusted me."

"I always have. Still do."

Gil reached his hand over, gently caressing her. "What do you see?"

"What do you mean?"

"Watch my hand. Watch me. What do you see?"

Her eyes looked into his for a moment, before watching his hand glide across her skin. "You. Touching me."

"On your skin. I'm on your skin. Not him. Me. That's how it's going to be from now on, Catherine. Me touching you, me on your skin, me giving you pleasure." He caressed her cheek. "Okay?"

She smiled at him. "Okay."

* * *

Catherine stepped out of the bath, smiling as Gil surrounded her with a towel. He gently dried her down.

"Thank you," she murmured.

He was about to get her robe, when she put a hand on his arm.

"Gil?"

"Mhm?"

"I want to feel you touching me. I want to feel you on my skin and feel you giving me pleasure. I want to make love with you."

His finger rested on her chin, tipping her face so that she looked him in the eyes. "Are you sure? It's been a rough day for you."

"It's been a learning day. And a good day." She took his hand. "Please."

"You never have to plead with me to make love to you," he smiled. "I love you too much."

She kissed him gently and then cried out in surprise as he lifted her into his arms.

"Gil!"

He grinned at her, carrying her into the bedroom and laying her tenderly down on the bed.

She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Raising a hand, she caressed his cheek. "You're good for me, you know that?"

"Funny, I was going to say that about you," Gil replied, turning slightly and kissing the hand.

Catherine watched his hands slide down her naked body. A slow burn started inside her, as he touched and caressed his way back up. Finally he was cupping her face and leaning in for a deep kiss.

Her hands ran up his chest, sliding around his neck and pulling him closer.

"Shirt off," she murmured, running her fingers underneath it.

Gil grinned, sitting up slightly and taking his shirt off, tossing it over the side of the bed. Catherine sighed with satisfaction, and ran her fingers over his bare flesh.

"I love it when you do that," he told her, his eyes closing.

She grinned and leant up, capturing his lips with hers again. The kiss was long and deep, until Catherine broke it with a moan as Gil's hands cupped her breasts.

He leaned down, whispering in her ear. "My hands on you, Catherine."

Her eyes opened, looking at him in dazed lust and love.

"That's right, baby. Watch me."

* * *

Catherine curled into him as he pulled the comforter over them. She clung tightly, resting her head on his chest.

"I love you," she whispered. "Thank you."

"Shh," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "You don't need to thank me for making love to you. Remember, I enjoy it as much as you do."

Catherine chuckled. "I noticed."

Gil grinned, holding her closer to him. "I thought you might." He kissed her cheek. "Sleep, sweetheart. You've had a big day."

"Gil?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm going to be okay." She looked up at him, sincerity in her eyes.

He smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Catherine, I _know_ you're going to be okay."

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

Part 21 

"It's going to be okay. It's just closing statements."

"I know," Catherine nodded. "We'll just go, listen to them sum it up, and go and get ice-cream with Lindsey."

"Exactly," Gil assured her, squeezing her hand. "You and me, and Lindsey."

She hugged him gently, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Let's go then."

* * *

Judge Kincaid watched as Stan Graves lawyer stood up.

"Stanley Graves cannot be held responsible for the actions of his brother. As the saying goes, we can choose our friends, but not our family. It is not Stanley Graves' fault that his brother raped and left Catherine Willows for dead. He is not a mind reader, nor a Superman that can save everyone in the world. He has worked with Ms Willows before, and there has never been any trouble, either from him or his brother. This was merely a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That is why you must find Stanley Graves innocent of all charges."

Catherine glanced up at Gil as she heard him snort in derision. He caught her looking at him and smiled slightly.

"Well, it's not my fault that sounded like a soap opera."

Catherine snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he tightened his arms around her.

Dale Graves' lawyer stood up. He walked over to the jury, standing beside them. His eyes wandered onto Catherine, then back onto Dale. "Ladies and gentlemen, the only thing my client is guilty of is picking the wrong woman to have sex with. We've all seen this before. A couple who has rough sex, the woman later thinks it was a bad idea, and decides to cry rape."

Gil quickly pulled Catherine closer as he felt her tense in his arms.

"My client does not deny having sex with Ms. Willows. He admitted it was rough sex. But really, rape is going a bit far." The lawyer pointed toward Catherine. "Look at her now. Already got herself another guy."

"OBJECTION!" Jennifer Cowen cried, jumping up.

Judge Kincaid glared at Dale's lawyer. "Don't make me caution you again."

"It's okay, sweetheart," Gil whispered into Catherine's ear. "It's okay."

Dale's lawyer nodded, deciding it might be safer to wrap things up. "Dale Graves is guilty of having sex. Nothing more."

Jennifer Cowen stood up. "Catherine Willows was the victim of a heinous crime. Dale Graves raped her, beat her, and left her for dead. She should be applauded for fighting back from such a brutal crime. The evidence you have seen during this trial has clearly implicated no one else but Dale Graves as the rapist and attempted murderer, and Stanley Graves as co-conspirator. Stanley Grave is an officer of the law, required to serve and protect. He did not do this in the case of Catherine Willows. He stood back and allowed his brother to commit a vicious act against her. He had both a weapon and a radio, but instead, he stood aside. That makes him guilty of conspiracy to rape and attempted murder." She turned to look at Dale. "As for Dale Graves, he has been identified and proven through forensic evidence and witness testimony, to be the man that raped and attempted to murder Ms Willows. You all saw the marks of his attack, the evidence of his attack. And Ms Willows herself, faced her attacker and told everyone exactly what he did to her, showing tremendous courage." Jennifer turned back to the jury. "As officers of this court, you can have no choice but to find Stanley Graves guilty of conspiracy to rape and attempted murder, and Dale Graves guilty of rape and attempted murder."

* * *

"Waiting sucks," Lindsey declared, spooning some of her ice cream in her mouth.

"Amen to that," Catherine replied, staring listlessly at her own concoction.

Lindsey glanced at Gil, her eyes gesturing towards her mother. Gil grinned at the girl's obvious anxiousness to help.

"Cath?" he said, his hand gently rubbing her back.

"Mhm?" she said, turning to look at him.

"It could be a while. Before they reach a verdict."

"If any of them have any sense, they'll have known the verdict before they went into that room."

Lindsey grinned. "I totally agree, mom."

Gil's hand gently continued to rub Catherine's back. He needed to reassure himself that she wasn't in too much pain, and that she was handling things well. "Hey, Lindsey, I'm just going to steal your mom a moment. I need some air."

Lindsey nodded, too engrossed in conquering her ice cream mountain.

"What is it?" Catherine asked, when they had found a quiet spot by a tree.

"I…I just wanted to make sure you were alright?"

Catherine smiled softly at him. "They can't hurt me anymore. You showed me that."

Gil smiled back, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Let's go back in," Catherine said. "Before my ice cream melts."

"Cath?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to plan a trip. You, me and Lindsey. When this is all over. Okay?"

She grinned. "Okay."

* * *

The jury was still out that night, and Gil had taken his two girls home. After much protesting, Lindsey had finally agreed to go to bed, and now Catherine and Gil lay in their bed.

The lights were off, but both were still wide-awake.

"What do you think they're thinking in there?" Catherine murmured, her hand resting on Gil's chest.

"About how beautiful you were," Gil mumbled, his lips gently kissing the top of her head.

"I think you're biased," she told him.

"Just honest." He heard her sigh and he smiled, caressing her hair. "Alright, I think they're looking at the evidence and the testimonies."

"It would help if I knew what the bastards had said."

Gil looked at her. "You're not regretting the fact we didn't go, are you?"

Catherine smiled softly at him. "The truth? No. I don't."

"I'm glad."

"I'm also not regretting the fact that we talked with Philip."

"I'm also glad about that."

"I love you, Gil."

He smiled down at her, taking her hand in his and kissing it. "I know. I love you too."

"Our lives are eventually going to return to normal, right?"

"When have our lives ever been normal?"

She rolled her eyes. "I meant…BTR."

Gil didn't have to ask her what the acronym meant. He could guess. "I don't know, Cath. I want to say, yes, definitely, nothing will ever change. But life is about change."

"I want to be a normal person again. I want to forget the attack ever happened. Then sometimes I'm grateful for it, because it gave me you."

Gil caressed her cheek. "We would have found our way to each other eventually, Cath. I just wish you hadn't had to go through all that pain."

Catherine snuggled closer. "I wish I hadn't either." She paused. "Gil? What's going to happen if they let them go?"

"That won't happen, Cath."

"You can't know that."

"Catherine, the jurors aren't blind or deaf. They heard the evidence. They saw you."

"That's exactly my point," Catherine replied. "They saw me. The…"

Gil put a hand over her mouth, moving so that he could look her in the eye. "Don't say it. Don't even think it. You've talked to Philip. You know what I think…what those around you think. I love you, Catherine Willows. And I swear to you, that those men will never hurt your or anyone ever again." His eyes locked with hers. "I promise."

She paused for a moment. "You can't make that kind of promise, Gil."

"I can, and I am." He caressed her cheek. "I've never broken a promise to you before, have I?"

"No."

"Well I'm not about to start now." Gil pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Sleep, baby. I'll take care of you. I promise."

Feeling safe in his arms, Catherine slowly drifted off to sleep.

Gil stayed awake, holding her tight. He looked up at the ceiling. "Please don't make me break my promise."

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

Part 22 

Lindsey didn't like the house being silent. Ever since Gil had moved in with them (even though no one had formally said he had), the house had been filled with chatter and laughter. He was always there to soothe her mother's tears. Lindsey remembered that he was always there to help her as well.

This morning however, the house was eerily quiet. She knew that Gil and her mother were both awake, because she'd heard Uncle Gil making her mother some coffee, and then going into their bedroom and whispering sweet things to her.

Since then, the house had been quiet. She had been thinking about going to investigate, when Uncle Gil opened the door.

Gil smiled down at Lindsey. "Coming to check up on us, were you?" he teased.

"I was just making sure everything was okay," Lindsey replied, in all seriousness. "Things were too quiet."

Gil's eyes softened and he hugged her. "Everything's fine, Lindsey. I just wanted a quick chat with your mom, to make sure she was doing okay."

"And is she?"

Gil nodded. "She's tired and a little worried, but she's going to be fine, Linds. We're on the home stretch now, remember?"

Lindsey nodded for a moment and then looked up at Gil. "What if they don't go to jail?"

Gil said nothing, trying to reason with himself. What _would_ happen if they didn't go to jail? He took a deep breath. "We're going to have to cross that bridge when we come to it, Lindsey, but I don't think that's going to happen."

The little girl looked at him for a moment, belying a wisdom that should have been many years ahead of her. "I wish I had your faith, Uncle Gil." With that, she turned around and headed to her room.

Gil sighed and rubbed his forehead. He headed back into the bedroom where was buttoning up her blouse.

She caught him looking at her. "I'd let you do it, but then it'd be coming off, and we'd be late for court."

He smiled slightly at her. "Do we want to be on time?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't be giving up just yet, Bugman. We're not done yet and I need your support."

Gil put his arms around her. "You always have my support, Catherine."

She leaned into him, hugging him close. "I know. And I always appreciate it."

They kissed long and gently, Catherine's arms around his neck and his around her waist.

As the kiss broke, Catherine rested against his chest. "We should probably go."

"Probably," Gil agreed, making no movement from his position.

"Sometime today," Catherine said, moving closer to him.

"Definitely," Gil agreed.

Lindsey appeared in the doorway again. "Do you two need a chaperone?"

* * *

Jennifer Cowen met Catherine, Lindsey and Gil at the doorway. "Morning."

"You don't sound too enthusiastic," Gil said.

"Sorry. It's not your case. I just had a child molester get off on a technicality." She hugged her coat around herself. "I had to go tell the kid."

"Sorry to hear that," Gil told her.

Jennifer tried to shrug it off, but was unsuccessful. Instead, she turned to Catherine. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing okay," Catherine replied. "I just want to get this over and done with, and put it all behind me."

Jennifer nodded. "The judge has set a time for 11am this morning. You have some time to go and get coffee if you want…at least better coffee than the courthouse sludge."

"And you?"

Jennifer sighed. "I've got to get back to the office. See if I can find anything else to pin this bastard."

"Which bastard would that be?" Gil asked.

"Child molester. Believe me, Dale Graves and Stan Graves are as pinned as they're gonna get."

* * *

"I'm going to get fat."

Catherine looked up alarmingly at Lindsey, who was slurping a milkshake. "Excuse me?"

"Well, with all this ice cream and milkshakes I'm eating, I'm going to get fat."

Gil looked surprised. "You're not fat, Lindsey. You're beautiful."

"You have to say that. You're biased," Lindsey replied.

Catherine starts to rapidly realize how quickly her daughter is growing up. The teenage years were upon them. She places her hand over Lindsey's. "Linds, is everything okay at school? No one's pressuring you or…"

"Mom, I'm fine."

Catherine arched an eyebrow. "Is it a boy?"

Lindsey blushed. "No."

Gil and Catherine exchanged glances.

"Never were a good liar," Catherine said, kissing her daughter on the head. "Never mind. We'll talk later, okay?"

Lindsey nodded. "Sure. Okay."

Gil looked at Lindsey sternly. "Finish your milkshake."

Lindsey giggled. "Yes, Uncle Gil."

After a few moments, Gil started watching Catherine carefully. She kept checking her watch, then checking the clock in the shop.

"Why don't we slowly walk back to the courthouse?" he suggested, resting a hand on hers.

Catherine looked over at him, a grateful smile on her face. "Okay."

* * *

Gil turned toward the back of the room after he had sat Catherine down, and a smile spread across his face. "Catherine, look."

She turned around in his arms, and grinned.

It was a quiet, but united group that had just filed in, standing at the back of the room. Jim Brass, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders, Doc Robbins, Jacqui Di Franco and even Conrad Ecklie stood stoically there, like her own private army.

She squeezed Gil's arm. "Did you call them?"

Gil shook his head. "But I do know they've been keeping an eye on what's happening."

Catherine's eyes widened when Sam Braun came in, surrounded by two of his bodyguards and a PA. She connected eyes with her father for a moment, then broke away to face the front and lean against Gil.

Lindsey put her hand in her mother's and squeezed it tight.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Dallas Kincaid."

Everyone stood and then sat again as the judge sat down. Dale and Stan Graves sat at their tables with their lawyers and Catherine glanced at the jury. Jennifer Cowen turned to give Catherine a reassuring smile.

"The jury has reached its verdict?"

The jury's foreman stood up. "We have, your honor."

"The defendants will please rise." As Dale and Stan got up, Judge Kincaid turned to the foreman. "What say you?"

"People versus Stanley Graves. Conspiracy to rape. We find the defendant, Stanley Graves, guilty. On the charge of conspiracy to murder, we find the defendant, Stanley Graves, guilty."

Waves of appreciation went through the courtroom, and Catherine's grip on Gil's hand grew tighter and tighter. Lindsey had let out murmurs of approval at each finding. Gil pressed a gentle kiss to Catherine's head.

"We're almost there, sweetheart. Almost there."

Stanley had almost slumped in his seat when he heard the verdict, and Dale was looking a little less cocky.

"People versus Dale Graves. On the charge of rape in the first degree, we find the defendant, Dale Graves, guilty. On the charge of attempted murder, we find the defendant, Dale Graves, guilty."

Gil clutched Catherine tightly as she let out a choked sob against his shirt. Lindsey's arms went around her mother, hugging her tight.

The CSI's and lab techs in the back of the room were all smiles.

Sam Braun smiled satisfactorily and got up, his bodyguards and PA escorting him out.

"Jury, thank you for your service. Sentencing will be next Tuesday at eight. We are adjourned." With finality, Judge Kincaid bashed her gavel.

Gil's eyes met Catherine's. "Let's go celebrate."


	23. Chapter 23

Part 23 

Gil Grissom had never been one for huge celebrations, but this one he felt was worth it. A party had been organized in their absence, at the CSI headquarters. Catherine sat at the table, laughing with Nick, her arm around Lindsey. It meant a lot to him to see her laugh and be happy. She must have known he was looking at her, because her eyes met his, and she smiled softly at him.

"Hello, Gil."

Gil turned around and smiled when he saw Philip Kane there. "Hi, Philip."

Philip gestured to Catherine. "I was very glad to hear the verdict. It's certainly going to help Catherine's recovery."

"She's doing so well. I'm so proud of her."

"And why are you standing over here?"

Gil blinked. "Huh?"

"She keeps glancing over here when she thinks you're not looking and you keep glancing over there when you think she's not looking. Go sit with her."

Gil smiled. "She's been watching me, has she?"

"Grissom!" Greg bounded up to his boss. "Isn't this party great! Can I be the DJ? Please let me be the DJ."

Gil blinked. "How much alcohol have you had?"

"I don't have to work tonight."

"Obviously too much," Philip chuckled.

Gil watched as Philip steered the young lab tech away. He wandered over to the punch bowl, and was about to pour himself some, when Warrick put a hand out to stop him.

"I wouldn't."

"What's the matter with it?"

"Someone spiked it. There's enough alcohol in there to lay you flat for the next week."

Gil gingerly put the glass down. "No wonder Greg is acting stranger than usual."

Warrick smirked. "Yeah. It's good entertainment."

Something about Warrick's smirk made Gil wonder if it had been Warrick who had spiked the punch, and he let a small smile cross his own lips.

Warrick just stared at his boss innocently, before handing him another glass. "Alcohol free."

"Thank you, Warrick," Gil said, still smiling as he headed over to where Catherine was sitting.

Nick saw his boss and immediately got up. "Hi, Griss. Want to sit here?"

"Thanks, Nicky." Gil sat down, looking at Catherine. "Hi, beautiful."

She smiled back at him. "Hi. I was wondering where you'd disappeared to."

"Just talking with Philip. And heading Greg off so he can go sleep off his hangover."

Catherine's eyes widened. "Greg's drunk?"

There was a snort of laughter, or of someone trying to disguise laughter, behind them, and Gil turned to glance at Nick. The man in question composed his face quickly.

"Someone spiked the punch," Gil said dryly.

"Not necessarily for Greg though," Sara said, coming over.

Catherine glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the person who spiked it couldn't have been sure Greg was going to drink it. Maybe it was for someone else?"

"Yeah!" Warrick said, defending his part in it. "Maybe it was for someone else."

Gil and Catherine glanced at each other, then at their three "children".

"Who were you spiking it for then?" Catherine asked.

The three children glanced over to where Conrad Ecklie was pouring himself a large glass of punch.

"It might…possibly…whoever did it…have been for him," Sara owned, wilting under Catherine and Gil's gazes.

"How were we to know Greg'd gorge himself on punch?" Nick said. "He usually goes for his expensive coffee."

Gil rubbed his forehead. "Just make sure he gets home safely."

"Ecklie?"

Gil narrowed his eyes. "Greg."

Nick smiled. "Right, boss."

Catherine glanced at Gil's cup. "That's not punch, is it?"

"The unspiked version."

"Don't go getting drunk on me. I have plans for you later."

"Oh really?" Gil murmured, his hand slowly caressing her arm.

"Oh please," Lindsey groaned, getting up and looking for the others.

Catherine and Gil chuckled together. She leant her head on his shoulder.

He put his arm around her, his hand taking hers as he did. "I love you, Cath. And I'm so happy and proud of you."

She looked up at him, a smile on her face. "I'm happy too, Gil. I love you. So much."

He kissed her again. "I still want you to keep seeing Philip. I know they're locked up and can't hurt you again, but you went through so much. You need to talk to someone."

"I'll keep going to Philip," she promised. "But I want to talk to you as well. You'd make a good shrink, Gil."

He grinned. "Only with you, I think."

Nick and Warrick soon returned, Lindsey and Sara behind them.

"How's Greg?" Catherine asked.

"He'll be fine. He's gonna sleep it off."

"What about Ecklie?" Gil asked. "Has he passed out yet?"

"Why, are you planning on vandalizing his office?" Nick smirked.

"It's a thought," Gil admitted.

"He's sitting in his office with a headache," Warrick replied. "But he did say he really liked the punch."

Gil chuckled.

"I'm going to see if I can find some of the unspiked version," Sara said.

"Yeah, me too," Nick replied.

"That was subtle," Catherine murmured, watching the three kids walk over to the punch table.

"But well-informed," Gil answered. "They obviously got the hint that I want to be alone with you."

"You do, huh?" she asked, looking up at him.

He nodded and bent down, kissing her gently. "I love being with you."

Catherine snuggled closer. "I love being with you too. But everyone has been so wonderful and supportive throughout all this. They deserve a way to wind down."

Gil leans back in his chair. "Everything's going to be okay now, Cath. We're all going to be okay."

Catherine kissed him gently. "I know. You promised me that it would. And you kept your promise."

"I couldn't let you down, Cath."

"You never have."

He smiled broadly at her, hugging her tight. Gil picked up his glass and clinked his with hers. "Here's to you."

Catherine smiled. "Here's to us."

TBC  



	24. Chapter 24

Part 24

NC-17 Version of this part is at my website or at csi-forensics.

After arriving home, Gil, Catherine and Lindsey had shared dinner. Catherine and Gil kept sharing glances over dinner; small smiles, the occasional touch or kiss. Lindsey looked between them.

"Are you two going to have sex tonight?"

Catherine and Gil both choked on their drinks.

"What?" Catherine asked.

"Well, I sort of figured you had sex before. I think I heard something one night which I wasn't supposed to. Which, by the way, was gross. But I figure, after everything you've been through, you kinda deserve to…you know…do it if that's your thing."

Both Catherine and Gil had gone distinct shades of red. Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Don't look so worried. I have a really good CD I want to listen to. My discman will ensure that I don't hear anything. Just make sure you keep it in the bedroom, okay?"

With that, the girl got up, kissed each of them on the cheek and went upstairs.

"I think we just got berated by your teenage daughter," Gil said.

"Did she just say she'd heard us?" Catherine asked.

They both looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"The poor kid. There's nothing worse than hearing your parents in the bedroom," Catherine chuckled.

"It could have been worse. What if we hadn't locked the door!"

"Not good."

They both laughed for a little longer, then Catherine put her hand over Gil's. "I think we should go upstairs and lock the door to my bedroom."

Gil nodded, taking her hand and squeezing it. "I agree."

* * *

Gil locked Catherine's door and turned to face her. She walked up to him, cupping his face in her hands and kissing him deeply.

He went to slip his hands under her shirt, but she caught them, kissing the knuckles.

"Let me, Gil. Tonight, let me take the lead."

Smiling at the change, he nodded and instead went back to kissing her lips.

Catherine's arms went around his neck, kissing him back and she pushed herself against him, letting her body rub against his.

Gil groaned, his eyes opening. "Cath…"

Her hands ran up underneath his shirt, before she quickly started to unbutton it. She leant up and whispered in his ear. "Lie down on the bed and let me play."

Another groan and he kicked off his shoes and socks, lying down on the bed. He watched Catherine, whose eyes were dark with desire, and he felt his arousal deepen.

She unbuttoned her shirt, and crawled onto the bed, and nestled above him, kissing him gently.

"I love you," she whispered, finishing the unbuttoning of his shirt. "I love you so much, and I feel so happy and safe and loved when I'm near you."

His eyes widened for a moment, before softening and urging her down for a long kiss. "I'm so glad to hear that, Cath. I feel happy and safe and loved when I'm around you too."

That caused Catherine to pause, and this time it was her eyes widening. "You do?"

His fingers slipped beneath her loose shirt. "Always have. Always will."

Catherine's eyes slipped closed; the feeling of his fingers caressing her always made her tingle. "I…"

The caresses paused. "What is it, baby?"

"You're distracting me," she whispered, looking down at him.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist." He paused. "You have no idea how sexy you look right now, do you? Shirt open and flowing around you, beautiful hair to your shoulders, lips swollen with my kisses." His finger rose up to play with the small embroidered rose on her bra. "Not to mention this very sexy bra."

Catherine grinned at him. "You like it, huh?"

He nodded. "I'll like it better when I can take it off, though."

Her fingers guided him to the front clasp of the bra and together they undid it.

Catherine looked down at him, her voice growing husky. "Take them off, Gil."

With a small smile of satisfaction, Gil pushed the shirt and bra from her shoulders. His hands cupped her breasts and his smile grew when Catherine leant her head back and moaned.

His fingers traced them soft skin and circled around her nipple. He was about to continue his "play", when Catherine's hands went around his wrists.

"Please, let me touch you."

"Anytime."

* * *

Her arms wrapped tight around him, holding him to her as they both breathed deeply. When Gil finally moved, he held her against him. Catherine curled her body around his, making sure they were touching in every way possible.

"I love you, Gil," she whispered, her fingers entwining with his.

Gil smiled, resting their joined hands on his chest. "I love you too, Cath."


	25. Chapter 25

Part 25 

One year later, Catherine Grissom stood in front of the mirror in the bedroom she shared with her husband. She was completely naked – a fact that she was sure her husband would be busy appreciating if he were here.

She knew that when he got home from dropping Lindsey to school, that he would be doing just that.

The past year had been very good to her.

She was still seeing Philip Kane, but her visits weren't as often as they had been. She was back at work, but staying mainly around the lab. In another month, she'd go out on her first field assignment with Gil.

Catherine focused on her face. The worry lines were fading a little, which pleased her all the more because it meant that she hadn't been so upset lately. There was no scar on her face from her attack, nor, for that matter, was there a physical scar on any of her body.

She looked at her hands, smiling at the glittering emerald cut diamond and simple gold band that graced one of them. Their marriage and their two-week honeymoon had meant a lot to both of them. Being alone together, for so long, had been amazing. They had talked, connected, and healed. And, Catherine thought with a wry smile, they had made love. Often.

Dale Graves had committed suicide a month after being incarcerated. Neither Gil nor Catherine had mourned his passing. Stanley Graves had been put on a suicide watch, but, privately Catherine didn't think he would. It didn't matter anyway, because he couldn't hurt her anymore.

Neither of them could. Physically or emotionally.

A smile came to her face when she heard the front door shut.

"Cath?"

"Upstairs."

Gil Grissom made his way upstairs and smiled smugly when he saw his wife standing naked in front of the mirror. "Miss me, huh?"

Catherine arched an eyebrow, and leant back against him as his arms encircled her waist. "You were only gone fifteen minutes."

"And yet I missed you desperately," he murmured, his lips kissing her neck.

Catherine's eyes slipped shut. "Gil…"

"I can be as naked as you are in two seconds," Gil whispered, his hands caressing her stomach.

"Don't tempt me," Catherine replied, turning around in his arms. Her hand stroked the back of his neck.

"Don't tempt you? I didn't undress first, you did."

"I have to admit I was shocked that you didn't just toss me on the bed like you did a week ago."

"You gave me that look. I was powerless." He kissed her gently. "What were you thinking about?"

"About how wonderful the past year has been. What look?"

"The look that says 'I want you to take me on the bed right now'. And yes, this last year has been wonderful."

Catherine chuckled. "I have a 'I want you to take me on the bed right now' look?"

Gil shrugged. "I have no choice but to obey."

Catherine squealed with laughter as Gil picked her up and dumped her on the bed. Her arms pulled him down with her and they kissed slowly.

"Thank you," she whispered, her hand caressing his cheek.

Gil looked slightly confused. "For dumping you on the bed and being about to ravish you?"

Catherine giggled and punched his shoulder. "Is sex all you ever think about?" She paused. "Don't answer that, I'm as guilty as you are."

Gil just smiled smugly at her. "What were you saying, dear?"

"Thank you for all you did. During. And after."

"You don't need to thank me," he murmured. "You did most of the work." He kissed her again. "Besides, I did it because I love you."

"I know I don't have to. But I wanted to."

"Well, you're welcome." He brushed some hair from her face. "And Cath?"

"Mhm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Showing me what's really important in life." He kissed her lips. "Living it with the ones you love."

Catherine smiled broadly at him. "You must have known somehow. You caught me when I fell."

FINIS


End file.
